Overview

• Economy Minister Katherina Reiche called tax increases "gift" for the economy and said policy should prioritize growth and lower burdens on labor income.
• Reiche voiced skepticism about raising the inheritance tax, warning that sharper levies could prompt companies to leave Germany.
• She cited structural labor issues, including many statutory vacation days, low average weekly hours and high sickness rates, to argue for making work pay.
• Chancellery chief Thorsten Frei cautioned that inheritance tax rules are complex and that tougher terms could force sales during family business successions.
• CDU/CSU leader Jens Spahn recently spotlighted wealth inequality and pointed to an expected Constitutional Court ruling that could trigger a tax rewrite, which SPD figures welcomed.