Berlin Should Approve Simplifications in EU

Bei der mündlichen Anhörung zur Klage über die Behandlung von Betriebsvermögen bei der Erbschaftsteuer war die Stiftung Familienunternehmen als eine von mehreren „sachkundigen Dritten“ geladen (Verfahren 1 BvR 804/22). Sie legt in ihrer Stellungnahme Daten zu den ökonomischen Wirkungen der Erbschaftsteuer auf Familienunternehmen vor. Grundlage sind empirische Untersuchungen sowie die nationale und internationale Forschungsliteratur.

Family businesses employ more than three quarters of Europe's workforce, yet their confidence in the EU is declining. A new position paper by The Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics sets out how Brussels can turn this around: by cutting red tape, completing the Single Market and attracting investment.

Inheritance tax, tax relief, the needs-based relief test (Verschonungsbedarfsprüfung): terms that are often misrepresented in the political debate. We answer the key questions, objectively and based on facts. Please note: this text is only available in German.

In the ongoing trilogue negotiations between the European Parliament, the European Council, and the EU Commission on relief measures for the EU Supply Chain Act and sustainability reporting, seven leading business organizations are calling on the German federal government not to jeopardize its self-stated goals.

In a response from the German Federal Ministry of Finance to a parliamentary inquiry by the Greens, the ministry states: Wealth inequality has declined in Germany since 2010. The Federal Chancellor considers the wealth tax to be a violation of the principle of equality.

Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann, Deputy Chairwoman of the National Regulatory Control Council, explains in conversation with Dr. David Deißner why companies suffer under growing bureaucratic burden, what role the Regulatory Control Council plays, and how regulations can be made more practical.

Dr. Gisela Meister-Scheufelen analyzes the growing bureaucratic burden on companies in conversation with Dr. David Deißner. With concrete numbers and examples, she not only identifies problem areas but also presents pragmatic solutions for effective bureaucracy reduction.

In a position paper on the "Omnibus proposals," The Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics endorses the European Commission's approach. The proposals should be adopted quickly and with further improvements.

The German economy has come a long way over the past decades on the path toward sustainable corporate management and has completed a whole series of politically set milestones. In the continued expansion of sustainability reporting, it has accepted far-reaching administrative burdens – even to the point of direct losses in its global competitiveness. However, the expansion of sustainability reporting now mandated by the European legislator exceeds what is proportionate.