AfD on the economy

The AfD wants to waive exam fees for master craftsman candidates who pass and to raise the advancement bonus. The Meisterbrief (master craftsman certificate) should not be put on a par with shorter substitute qualifications. The platform argues that university study is free of fees while master training is not.

The AfD wants to help craft workers become masters. People who pass the master exam should pay no fees. They should also get a bigger bonus. The master title should stay as demanding as it is now.

The Aufstiegsbonus I, paid after passing the master exam, would rise from 2,000 to 3,000 euros. Trainees in the skilled trades would get access to state-subsidized student dorms. For trainees in rural areas, the AfD plans housing subsidies and reimbursement of travel costs. Career guidance in schools would be stepped up to introduce young people to the trades. The master certificate would remain a mark of quality and not be replaced by shortened qualifications.

The AfD wants to relieve businesses in the state of bureaucracy. An independent regulatory review council would examine rules, and two existing rules would be scrapped for every new one. The platform sees the bureaucratic burden as a competitive disadvantage.

The AfD wants fewer rules for businesses. An independent council should check old and new rules. For every new rule, two old ones should go. The AfD says too many rules hurt businesses.

The platform cites 2024 estimates by the ifo Institute: 65 billion euros in direct bureaucracy costs per year and 146 billion euros in lost economic output. The council would examine both existing and new rules. The AfD expects more entrepreneurial freedom, stronger competition, and more choice and lower prices for consumers.

The AfD wants more business startups by expanding founder stipends and appointing a startup commissioner. State venture capital funds would get more money, and handing over existing firms would become easier. The platform notes that the state ranks 13th of 16 in startup formations per capita.

The AfD wants more people to start businesses. Founders should get more stipends. A commissioner should connect founders and investors. Young firms should get money more easily. Handing a firm over to a successor should also be easier.

The commissioner would be a successful entrepreneur who connects founders with investors and promotes the state nationally and internationally. Master craftsmen who go into business for themselves would get dedicated stipends. The venture capital funds would be managed at arm's length from the state and without ideological requirements; some gains could flow back to the state budget. For business succession, the AfD wants to cut red tape and calls on the federal government to make the tax rules business-friendly.

The AfD wants to loosen the state's store-hours law. Stores would be allowed to stay open until midnight, and municipalities could permit six instead of four shopping Sundays a year. The platform considers the current rules stricter than in neighboring states and a disadvantage for businesses and customers.

The AfD wants stores to be allowed to open longer. In the evening they could stay open until midnight. There should be six instead of four Sundays with open stores. Stores without staff should be able to open around the clock.

At present, stores must generally close on Sundays and from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Gas stations would be allowed to offer services such as car washes on Sundays, and automated 24-hour stores would be easy to operate. On shopping Sundays, stores could open for eight instead of five hours; the only condition would be an accompanying program of events. Service-sector employees would be able to raise their net pay through tax-free supplements for night and Sunday work.

The AfD wants to support restaurants and bars through less bureaucracy and lower taxes. The Schankerlaubnissteuer (liquor license tax) would be abolished immediately, and the reduced VAT rate would also apply to drinks. A new umbrella brand is meant to bring more tourists to the state.

The AfD wants to help restaurants and bars. A tax on the license to serve drinks should go. There should be less sales tax on drinks. Ads across Germany should bring more vacationers to the state.

The platform stresses that the hospitality industry employs more than 120,000 people in the state and that rural pubs serve as meeting places for village communities. The state AfD backs its Bundestag group's demand to cut VAT on drinks to 7 percent, the rate that applies to food. The umbrella brand would highlight distinctive features such as wine tourism and the state's history. A nationwide campaign would promote it.

The AfD wants to shield small and mid-sized businesses from additional requirements and give them a larger share of funding programs. New laws would be checked in advance for their effects on these firms. Public tenders should become simpler, faster and legally more certain so that small firms can bid too.

The AfD wants to strengthen small and mid-sized businesses. New laws should be checked first for their effects on these businesses. EU and federal rules should not be applied more strictly than needed. Government contracts should be easier to get.

The AfD wants to implement EU and federal law only to the minimum required, without tightening rules at businesses' expense. In regional economic funding (GRW), minimum funding amounts would be lowered, and craft businesses would be considered in funding for basic local services. On tenders, the platform cites the European Court of Auditors: 42 percent of cases have only one bidder, which it says leads to inflated prices. The AfD calls on the federal government and the EU to simplify the procedures.