The SPD meets on Sunday for the annual meeting. A stronger profile in financial and tax policy is planned. The aim is to make investments fair and sustainable.
From Sunday morning, the SPD board will meet for a two-day retreat. The party executive wants to set up a commission on tax policy, as “spiegel.de” reports. The news site relies on a bilateral draft resolution.
It states that the expenditure during the crisis and the associated necessary investments raise the question of “sound and, above all, fair financing”. The investments should be placed on a “fairer and more sustainable foundation” so that social cohesion is strengthened. The distribution of costs and profits “should not lead to growing social upheaval”.
The Commission is to make initial proposals in the summer, and final clarification is planned for September.
At the beginning of November, the party leadership had stopped an attempt by the Jusos to decide on a clear rejection of the debt brake. It was agreed that a tax and financial policy concept would be presented at the party conference at the end of 2023. This agreement is now being followed up with the appointed commission.
The two party chairmen Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil lead the working group. The organization falls to General Secretary Kevin Kühnert. Members of the commission include Jörg Kukies, permanent state secretary in the chancellery, deputy party leader Thomas Kutschaty, Juso boss Jessica Rosenthal and the economists Gustav Horn and Philippa Sigl-Glöckner, who lead the economic policy advisory board of the SPD.
Financial policy wishes of the SPD will ultimately be difficult to implement in the traffic light coalition. The reason for this is probably the resistance of the FDP. That is why the SPD in the commission is primarily concerned with renewing its own program – and preparing for upcoming election campaigns.
At the annual meeting, the Social Democrats also discuss communication, transformation and the upcoming elections.