Overview

• Destatis reported assessed inheritance and gift tax liabilities of €13.3 billion for 2024, up 12.3% to a new high.
• The total comprised €8.5 billion in inheritance tax (+9.5%) and €4.8 billion in gift tax (+17.8%), with gift levies rising steadily since 2019.
• Roughly €113.2 billion in wealth transfers were recorded for tax purposes, down 6.8% year over year, as assessed business assets fell sharply; larger estates above €500,000 generated most revenue (about 69% per a media analysis).
• IMK estimates around €400 billion actually change hands each year and cites about €17 billion in transfer-related tax concessions that chiefly benefit large fortunes, with high statutory thresholds for close relatives.
• The release has sharpened political fault lines: the SPD urges higher taxation, Bavaria’s Markus Söder pushes regional control and deep cuts, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees little chance of near-term changes.