SPD on finance and taxes

The SPD wants to expand energy, transport and telecommunications networks and issue a state bond to pay for it. Investors would put money into transport projects and electricity and hydrogen grids without public infrastructure being privatized.

The SPD wants to expand roads, railways and networks. The state should issue a bond for this. That means investors lend the state money. The infrastructure should still belong to the state.

The bond would raise money on the capital market for key transport projects and distribution grids for electricity and hydrogen, mainly in municipalities. It is aimed especially at institutional investors. Planning procedures for power plants, their grid connection and grid expansion would be sped up. A single portal would show available grid capacity. The platform also points to the federal special fund, from which the state benefits.

The SPD wants the state to cover the full cost of new tasks it assigns to municipalities. An amendment to the state constitution is meant to make this legally clear and avoid court disputes.

The state often gives towns and cities new tasks. The SPD wants the state to pay for these tasks in full. To do this, it wants to change the state constitution.

Funding is to be complete and dynamic, meaning it would grow along with rising costs. As an example, the platform cites the additional costs of the Bundesteilhabegesetz (federal participation law for people with disabilities) for counties and independent cities. In the SPD's view, the current state government is not keeping its commitments to municipalities.

The SPD wants to give municipalities considerably more state money: about 300 million euros a year by ending state deductions, plus another 500 million euros a year through an investment fund. The state would also take on debt for this. Grant programs would be bundled.

The SPD wants to give towns and cities more money. They should get 300 million euros more each year. On top of that come 500 million euros a year for investments. The state may borrow money for this.

The 300 million euros would come from state surpluses and help financially weak counties in particular. The additional 500 million euros a year would flow for twelve years, beyond the existing agreement on the federal special fund. Municipalities would decide for themselves how to use the money. The SPD wants to merge small grant programs and pay them out in a few large sums to cut applications and red tape.