Don’t feel like flight chaos? At least the Berlin Senate is now offering its politicians an alternative. Because: The holiday ban with the company car will be lifted. There are new rules for the private use of their cars. They say: A trip abroad with the company car is allowed. Previously, private trips were only permitted within Germany and only if they were taxed accordingly.
Why the sudden change of heart? The old regulations appear “no longer logical, appropriate and necessary” according to the document from the internal administration. The contradiction: The Berlin Senate is committed to a mobility turnaround and car-free zones in the capital. Now, practically at the same time, he allows politicians to go on vacation by car. That’s a bit confusing, voters find.
Do the senators now have to pay more for their official cars? Interior Senate spokeswoman Sabine Beikler to “Bild”: “The provision of service vehicles is free of charge for all approved types of use.” In other words: the car is free for them.
If you also want to use your company car privately, one percent of the list price of the vehicle will be added to your salary. This means that the wage is ultimately taxed a little more. Nothing will change with the new regulation.
At least the politicians have to get behind the wheel themselves while on vacation. According to “Bild”, however, 65 chauffeurs and 49 limousines from an official driving service are available in Berlin for business trips.
It is clear to everyone that the senators’ cars are not Ford Ka cars. For example, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) drives an armored Mercedes S-Guard. Price: Around half a million euros. If she intentionally or negligently causes an accident, she also has to dig deep into her pocket, because: If she is at fault, the statesmen and women pay for the damage with their own money.
Admittedly, in comparison to other federal states, Berlin still performs quite well in terms of vehicle technology. In the environmental comparison of the cars of all state governments by the German Environmental Aid (DUH), the Berlin Senate came first.
According to the organization, it has average CO2 emissions of 173 grams per kilometer. The other state governments were a little further behind, between 198 grams of CO2 (Baden-Württemberg) and 279 grams (North Rhine-Westphalia).
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