Fewer than 50 families in Germany have more wealth than the poorer half of society. It wouldn’t be too much to ask if “the rich” gave something back to society as a whole, demanded star author Walter Wüllenweber.

“We need a good 200 billion for the infrastructure to become climate-neutral, we need 100 billion for the Bundeswehr, we need money for digitization, we have to modernize the schools […] now the question is: who should pay for it?” This is what stern author Walter Wüllenweber asks in the 291st edition of the podcast “Today important” – and provides several answers at the same time.

“There are three options: Either we go into debt or we say that normal Germans pay via VAT, that is, we all. Or we say that those who have been favored in a way over the last 40 years pay, like you can’t imagine,” says Wüllenweber. An advantage of option three would also be that the standard of living of these people would not change at all, so they would not have to do without anything. Because they don’t use a large part of their money for living expenses – unlike the middle class, for example.

Relieve the rich so that everyone benefits?

Last but not least, the FDP is happy to bring up the argument: We just have to give the rich a lot of relief so that they save money, then something will also benefit the poor in society. stern author Wüllenweber says: “Absolute nonsense! And that’s even been scientifically proven. Because nowadays the money ends up in accounts in tax havens, so that the German state and we, society, see nothing of it.”

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