I sat and watched a segment of news off N-TV (commercial German news) this morning. The topic? KITA being free in Berlin.
KITA is the German public child-care service which is in most cities and towns. In most cities of Germany, there is a cost factor, with the city or state covering some portion, and you the parent paying the rest.
In Berlin, the political apparatus has gone to the extent of fully funding KITA. For parents, it's a great deal. In a normal situation, you could figure a minimum of 100 Euro a month, on upwards to 200 Euro. Imagine some couple with two kids in the system.
So naturally, you'd be asking how they afford to pay this entirely? Well....the public doesn't ask these questions but on down the line....there's something which they aren't funding anymore. Maybe less landscaping in city parks....maybe increased dog license fees....maybe more car parking fees. You just don't know this angle of the deal.
Naturally, folks are hyped up and they want all KITAs across the nation to be 'free'. The political dynamic to this? At some point, folks will wake up and wonder about the services cut and if this doesn't eventually lead back to higher taxation. But, that's five years on down the line.
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