Business associations and major corporations such as BMW and Siemens have called on the federal government to implement rapid reforms in a joint letter. Reform projects that have been announced or enshrined in the coalition agreement must be implemented “with the utmost urgency and without any compromises,” according to the letter from associations and companies in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, as cited by the Mediengruppe Bayern (Friday editions).
According to the letter, companies in Germany are facing “considerable pressure” due to high energy costs and changing economic conditions. “It is precisely in this situation that the specific design of the social and economic policy framework determines whether companies can remain competitive, retain jobs, and make investments at our locations.”
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According to reports, the signatories include the corporations Audi, BMW, ZF, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Siemens, and Eberspächer. The heads of the Bavarian metal and electrical employers’ associations and their Baden-Württemberg counterpart, Südwestmetall, have also joined the appeal. Recipients of the letter include Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD), Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), and the parliamentary group leaders of the governing parties.
The letter calls, among other things, for a sustainable reduction in social security contributions. These contributions, currently at over 42 percent, are at an all-time high. The signatories criticize the fact that it is “unacceptable that the contribution burden for parts of the economy and the insured is increasing despite stable contribution rates because the contribution assessment ceilings are being raised.”
Author: AFP – jes – Translated by Blackout News
Sources: AFP Press Portal