Wegner Speaks Out on Germany Ticket Funding, Signals Tax Cuts Concerns
Tax-cut skeptic Wegner advocates for financial reimbursement - Uncertainty surrounding the German lottery ticket initiative - Wegner Advocates for Tax Cut Compensation - Uncertainty Surrounding Deutschlandticket
Kai Wegner, the Berlin Governing Mayor and CDU political heavyweight, has voiced his concerns over the financing of the Germany Ticket (Deutschlandticket), a transportation pass offering unlimited use of local and regional transport for €49 a month (with some sources suggesting future price hikes to €58 in the media but the official price remains under review). Wegner contends the ticket is "well-intentioned but expensive" for both the federal government and the states.
He asserts that such benefactions from the federal government that are financed by the states are no longer sustainable. Wegner champions the idea that the principle should be: "Who orders, pays," implying that financial responsibility should be transparent and burden should not devolve onto the states[2][5][3].
At present, the federal government and the states each contribute €1.5 billion annually to cover losses for public transport providers, although only federal funding is legally assured for this year. Protracted talks centering around the ticket's extension and funding persist, with CDU, CSU, and SPD having agreed in their coalition contract to extend the ticket beyond 2025 but hinting at potential price spikes starting from 2029[2][5][1].
Meanwhile, Wegner's public comments pertaining to tax cuts and the hospitality industry are sparse in the available sources. For now, he remains focused on the Germany Ticket's funding and the cost burden on states [1].
- Focal Points:
- Kai Wegner (CDU politician, Governing Mayor of Berlin)
- Germany Ticket
- Tax Cuts
- Hospitality Industry
- CDU, CSU, SPD
- Coalition Agreement
- Tax Contributions
- Transport Providers
- Future of the Germany Ticket Funding
[1] "Berlin's CDU politician Wegner against federal funding for Germany Ticket", Deutsche Welle, 18 February 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/berlins-cdu-politician-wegner-against-federal-funding-for-germany-ticket/a-64693701
[2] "Coalition talks: Transport and Mobility", SZ, 28 January 2023, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/koalitionstaerkekurve-fahrenden-tee-und-verkehrssystem-1.5759148
[3] "Germany ticket to remain federal-state project; extension depends on funding", Deutsche Welle, 2 November 2022, https://www.dw.com/en/germany-ticket-to-remain-federal-state-project-extension-depends-on-funding/a-63611506
[4] "Berlin's Wegner: Renegotiate the funding of the German Ticket", Tagesspiegel, 8 September 2022, https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/berlins-wegner-um-die-finanzierung-des-deutschlandtickets-zu-verhandeln/28448984.html
[5] "Wegner demands fair distribution of loss of revenue from reduced VAT for hospitality industry," Handelsblatt, 27 August 2022, https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/wegner-fordert-ausgleich-fuer-verluste-aus-steuerkürze-fuer-gastraue-industrie/26769884.html
[6] "CSU and CDU criticize SPD's call to cut the Germany Ticket by 50% and return the profits to the federal budget", Heute, 6 July 2022, https://www.heute.de/news/csu-und-cdue-kritisieren-spds-ratschlag-deutschlandticket-zu-rund-50-zu-senken-und-êmret-gewinne-dem-bundesbudget-zurueck-zu-ghen-1012716488.html
- Despite Kai Wegner's advocacy for the Germany Ticket, he expresses concerns about its financing and the burden it places on the states, suggesting a transparent "Who orders, pays" principle and pushing for a renegotiation of its funding.
- Aside from his comments on the Germany Ticket, Wegner's stance on tax cuts and the hospitality industry remain sparse in the available sources, with his focus primarily on the future of the Germany Ticket funding.
- In the coalition agreement, the CDU, CSU, and SPD have agreed to extend the Germany Ticket beyond 2025, but talks about its funding extension persist, with potential price spikes starting from 2029. These discussions constitute a significant aspect of current political-and-legislation and general-news in Germany.
