Tierschutzpartei on democracy and the state

The Tierschutzpartei rejects the state collecting the church tax and paying, for example, bishops' salaries. It invokes the separation of church and state.

Today the state collects the church tax for the churches. The party wants this to stop. The state should not pay bishops either. Church and state should be separate.

The platform calls financial support for the churches through state tax collection unacceptable. The same applies to bishops' salaries paid by the state. As its reason, the party says the Basic Law calls for separating church and state.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to cap party donations at 50,000 euros per person or company per year and broaden the lobby register. Members of parliament would be barred from sitting on corporate executive or supervisory boards at the same time. The aim is to reduce the influence of wealthy industries on politics.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to limit large donations to parties. One donor could give at most 50,000 euros a year. Lobbyists should be listed in a register. Lobbyists speak for the interests of companies or groups. Lawmakers should not run companies at the same time.

The lobby register is to cover the government as well and require financial data and detailed fields of activity from all lobbying actors. Animal welfare, environmental, social and peace groups should be heard as much as private business, while the lobbying power of the auto, farm, pharmaceutical, energy and arms industries should shrink. Departing lawmakers would face a 12-month cooling-off period before top business posts, and government members 36 months. Payments from business above 150 euros a month would have to be disclosed, and side income from talks and seminars published and capped.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to lower the five-percent threshold to no more than one percent so that votes for small parties are represented in parliament. It also calls for a nationwide voting age of 16 and citizens' assemblies chosen by lot.

Today a party needs five percent of the vote to enter the Bundestag. The Tierschutzpartei wants to lower this to one percent. Young people should be able to vote at 16. Citizens' assemblies should advise politicians. These are groups of citizens picked by lottery.

According to the platform, parties outside the Bundestag sometimes receive over ten percent of votes, which then go unrepresented. Digital signatures should become possible for ballot access, which is also meant to cut administrative work. The party wants a review of whether overhang seats can be dropped or adjusted. Citizens' assemblies would be filled by a representative lottery, and parliaments would have to deal thoroughly with their statements. Programs for democracy education are to be offered more widely and funded better.