Overview
- The association for family-owned businesses reports that 57% of mid-sized firms will not pay the relief bonus, 31% will pay it only in part, and 12% will pay it in full.
- The bonus is an employer-funded payment of up to €1,000 per worker that would be tax- and social-contribution free.
- Parliament approved the measure in April, and it still needs Bundesrat consent before it can take full effect.
- Lawmakers extended the payout window to June 30, 2027 after employers said they could not make the payment in the current downturn.
- Employer leaders argue the policy shifts costs onto struggling companies and press for lower energy prices through a technology-open approach that ends the nuclear ban, allows small reactors, and cuts long-running solar subsidies.