137,000 euros for Baerbock’s make-up artist – traffic light expenditures are criticized

Politics

The traffic light government argues almost non-stop. Mainly about the money. Basic child security, infrastructure projects, energy transition – the ministers want money that they can spend. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) stands in the way. He insists on the debt brake – and on not levying any new taxes.

But it is not only within the government that there is a dispute about the distribution of the money. The taxpayers’ association also criticizes the traffic light. From the point of view of the lobby group, the ministers of the SPD, Greens and FDP too much (tax) money out. The association has therefore put together a “savings book for the federal budget 2023”.from which the “Weltquoted.

In order to be able to compile the savings proposals, according to the “Welt” the association combed through the budgets of the individual federal ministers – and has probably come across immense savings potential.

Too much money for your own production

A serious item is the vanity of the traffic light. According to the report, in the first year of government, the costs for hairdressers, photographers and make-up artists increased by 80 percent compared to the previous year. And thus to a total of 1.5 million euros. The make-up artist for Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is said to be the most expensive at just under 137,000 euros. But the association also criticizes the high costs for private photographers.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will probably spend a lot on her appearance.Image: dpa / Bernd von Jutrczenka

According to the taxpayers’ association, there is also potential for savings in the area of ​​administration. In the past twelve years, material expenditure has more than doubled – to 22 billion euros. To the material expenses include items of daily use, vehicles, the rental of buildings, costs for experts and business trips.

The taxpayers’ association sees the reason for the additional expenditure in the rapidly growing staff. “What is particularly striking is the number of expensive top civil servant posts,” which increased sharply under the traffic light government, quotes the “Welt” from the savings book. The construction and economics ministries in particular are said to have created many new top positions.

Taxpayers’ Association calls for more austerity

And the oversized Bundestag is also a thorn in the side of the taxpayers’ association. Because according to the association’s assessment, the high house should remain too expensive even with the controversial traffic light reform. Just like the planned conversion of the Chancellery.

According to “Welt”, the club is also not very enthusiastic about far-reaching subsidy plans. The plans of Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) for the green transformation of the economy represented an unreasonable demand for the lobby group.

The taxpayers’ association doesn’t like Robert Habeck’s subsidy plans at all.Image: dpa / Christoph Soeder

With climate agreements For example, the minister wants to give the steel and chemical industries high subsidies as an incentive over the next 15 years if they switch to climate-neutral production. However, it is also planned that the subsidized companies will pay back their additional income to the state. As soon as climate-friendly production becomes cheaper than conventional ones.

Instead of new subsidies, the “world” concludes from the association’s savings book, that a subsidy freeze is needed. “From now on, every minister must see himself as an austerity minister,” demands the President of the Taxpayers’ Association, Reiner Holznagel, in the report.