Erfurt (dpa/th) – The Thuringian municipalities are bubbling with tax revenue. In the first three quarters of 2022, they increased by almost a fifth to 1.4 billion euros compared to the same period last year, as the State Statistical Office announced on Thursday. Including the money from ongoing administration, which mainly includes fees, a total of 4.8 billion euros flowed into the coffers of the municipalities, administrative communities and districts by the end of September – an increase of 6.7 percent. This was offset by expenditure of roughly the same amount, with an increase of 8.2 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Municipalities benefited above all from increased income. From income tax, 384.8 million euros flowed to the municipalities, which corresponds to an increase of 27.3 percent. The income from trade tax to be paid by companies increased by 21.4 percent to 728.1 million euros. In addition, according to the statistics authority, additional income from so-called petty taxes such as dog and amusement tax has also been recorded.
Additional expenses for personnel, material costs, rents and leases as well as for social benefits had an impact on expenditure. Ongoing material costs increased by 14.1 percent to around 850.3 million euros, and expenditure on social benefits by 6.1 percent to 1.2 billion euros. The financial benefits for asylum seekers alone more than doubled – by 43.5 million euros to a total of 72.1 million euros. The municipalities had to raise 1.3 billion euros for personnel expenses, which was 5.7 percent more than a year earlier.
