Overview
- Mayor Dirk Hilbert proposes tying council approval of the DVB citizen initiative to raising the trade-tax rate from 450 to 475, taking effect in 2026 if the initiative succeeds.
- The city council is scheduled to vote in December on the initiative’s admissibility and the linked tax measure.
- The Greens and regional business groups, including the Handwerkskammer and the IHK, argue an automatic hike is unjustified and would hurt competitiveness.
- IHK managing director Lukas Rohleder warns the current tax burden already presents a serious disadvantage for local companies.
- More than 40,000 residents have supported the petition to preserve the DVB network, the Left group urges approval and even accepts a tax increase, and Hilbert still deems the petition inadmissible.