Germany 'to borrow over €45 billion' in 2023 to combat energy crisis
Germany will have to take on more debt than expected in 2023 to combat an energy crisis that has left Europe's biggest
economy facing "great economic uncertainty", Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Tuesday.
The government now expects new net borrowing next year to climb to €45.6 billion, more than double the €17.2 billion initially estimated.The budget plan will be discussed in the Bundestag lower house of parliament this week and is set to be approved on Friday.
"We are in a time of great economic uncertainty," Lindner told public broadcaster ARD.
Industrial powerhouse Germany, which was heavily reliant on Russian gas imports before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has been hit hard by soaring energy prices and a cut in Russian deliveries.
The government expects the German economy to tip into recession next year and shrink by 0.4 percent.
Lindner nevertheless stressed that Germany would return to the constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" in 2023, which limits annual new borrowing to 0.35 percent of gross domestic product.
The government had lifted the debt brake at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to cushion the blow from shutdowns.
READ ALSO: Debt-adverse Germany to take on new borrowings to soften pandemic blow
But reinstating the debt brake has been a priority for Lindner, a fiscal hawk from the pro-business FDP party who came into office last December.
To help steer Germany through the fallout from Russia's war without upsetting Lindner's commitment to the debt brake, the government has announced "special funds" considered separate from the regular federal budget.
One of them is €100 billion fund to modernise the German military, the other is a €200 billion support package to help shield households and businesses from higher energy costs.
READ ALSO: German households to receive relief for gas costs 'starting in January'
Both will be financed by taking on new debt. Critics including opposition parties have decried the separate funds as a fiscal sleight of hand.
But Lindner on Tuesday defended his 2023 budget, which will total around €476 billion, as "solid" and said there "was no alternative".
The government's council of economic advisors suggested earlier this month that Germany should temporarily raise taxes on higher earners to help finance the new spending.
But Lindner again ruled out any tax hikes.
"That would be extremely risky from an economic point of view and would be to the detriment of jobs and investment," he told ARD.
Comments
See Also
The government now expects new net borrowing next year to climb to €45.6 billion, more than double the €17.2 billion initially estimated.The budget plan will be discussed in the Bundestag lower house of parliament this week and is set to be approved on Friday.
"We are in a time of great economic uncertainty," Lindner told public broadcaster ARD.
Industrial powerhouse Germany, which was heavily reliant on Russian gas imports before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has been hit hard by soaring energy prices and a cut in Russian deliveries.
The government expects the German economy to tip into recession next year and shrink by 0.4 percent.
Lindner nevertheless stressed that Germany would return to the constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" in 2023, which limits annual new borrowing to 0.35 percent of gross domestic product.
The government had lifted the debt brake at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to cushion the blow from shutdowns.
READ ALSO: Debt-adverse Germany to take on new borrowings to soften pandemic blow
But reinstating the debt brake has been a priority for Lindner, a fiscal hawk from the pro-business FDP party who came into office last December.
To help steer Germany through the fallout from Russia's war without upsetting Lindner's commitment to the debt brake, the government has announced "special funds" considered separate from the regular federal budget.
One of them is €100 billion fund to modernise the German military, the other is a €200 billion support package to help shield households and businesses from higher energy costs.
READ ALSO: German households to receive relief for gas costs 'starting in January'
Both will be financed by taking on new debt. Critics including opposition parties have decried the separate funds as a fiscal sleight of hand.
But Lindner on Tuesday defended his 2023 budget, which will total around €476 billion, as "solid" and said there "was no alternative".
The government's council of economic advisors suggested earlier this month that Germany should temporarily raise taxes on higher earners to help finance the new spending.
But Lindner again ruled out any tax hikes.
"That would be extremely risky from an economic point of view and would be to the detriment of jobs and investment," he told ARD.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.