The small hall is fully occupied, re are numerous cameras at front, and a dozen microphones are attached to lectern. Behind it stands pure nail and says sentences like, “an upper limit is important to us”. And: “500 are Enough”. Or “We need a ceiling on operating costs of democracy”. It feels as if one was already sitting in meeting planned for next Sunday by CDU chief Angela Merkel with CSU chief Horst Seehofer, in which it is to go to upper limit. However, those for refugees who want to cover Seehofer at 200 000 annually.
In fact, it’s only Thursday. One sits in press conference of federal taxpayer, in which President Nagel denounces that Germany is wasting millions of euros in tax money for useless democratic processes. Instead of 709 deputies, 500 were also enough to do justice to democracy.
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Nagel expects new “XXL Bundestag” to devour 75 million euros more in personnel costs. In total, 517 million euros were paid to pay members and employees. “The current state of 709 members is not available to electorate,” he says. “What we need is an electoral reform with an upper limit for mandates in German Bundestag.”
Because people’s representatives also need offices and or resources, and re is also some breakdown, cost spiral of democracy continues to soar, criticizing nail. It refers to broken floor slab, which delays expansion of deputies ‘ offices in Marie-Elisabeth-Lake-Haus, which will cost up to 50 million euros more. Then supreme tax-money keeper of Republic surprises with a fundamental argument: too many MEPs even hurt. “Among so many members, debate in plenary will suffer, votes will last longer, and individual member has less influence.” That is why he must “practice criticism of supposedly democratic processes”. The next coalition must change that.
The Confederation of Taxpayers calls for progress towards digitisation
It is indeed true that President-in-Office of Bundestag, Norbert Lammert (CDU), had already tried to reform electoral law and to cover Bundestag to total seat number of 630. He failed-and that, although his proposals for reform were more balanced than those of a nail.
The Bund of taxpayers presented on Thursday Black book “The Public Waste 2017/18”. The tax-money custodians were mainly examining progress made by federal government in announced digitisation of administration. In summer of 2013, Bundestag had decreed a law that all federal institutions obliged to introduce E-file until 2020. The interim balance sheet is negative. “Despite total investment of just under 700 million euros tax money, 60 percent of services do not have an e-file,” said nail. In Europe-wide comparison, Germany only ranked 20th. He refore called on next coalition to pool digital expansion. But please be reasonable. “Wher it must be a minister, I leave open.”
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