Thursday, May 3, 2018

The Shortfalls Story

Last night, if you watched the German public news at 8 PM....they weaved in the newest funding shortfall....KITA (the German day-care system).  Basically, the states all need a massive amount of funding to meet this discounted or free KITA deal.

My German wife sat there listing these shortfalls out:

1. KITA amount (probably over two billion Euro)
2. EU bill to Germany over additional 11-billion Euro a year because the UK is leaving
3. German Bundeswehr (Army) asking for a minimum of three billion Euro a year extra because of maintenance shortfalls.
4. German cops asking for more money because of crime.
5. Public expectation of Hartz IV (welfare) to be upgraded.  Minimum of three billion Euro but it could go on up to six to eight billion Euro.

So she then asks....how the heck do you go and tax people on this kind of stuff? 

It's a significant amount of taxation now layered across several areas....to pay for all the 'stuff' that Germans expect. Since the last election (fall 2017).....the political parties have all hyped up their 'free stuff'. 

Even the school system is begging for additional funds to upgrade and renovate facilities. 

Somehow, I sense that the next three years, until the next election....are mostly about the financial woes, lack of funding, and complaints over increased taxation. 

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