Bremen in the savings mode: Officials have to work more hours - without wages!

Bremen in the savings mode: Officials have to work more hours - without wages!

Bremen, Deutschland - The Bremen Finance Senator Björn Fecker faces the challenge of closing a household hole of 50 million euros. This is part of a larger savings plan that the red-green-red coalition wants to implement in Bremen. One of the most controversial measures stipulates that officials have to work an hour more a week - without additional payment. This was described in detail in a Article by T-Online .

The need for these measures is underpinned by the current tax estimate, which shows a gap of around 50 million euros each year for 2026 and 2027. This year, income from wage, corporate and sales taxes broke heavily. In view of these circumstances, the Bremen government is planning extensive savings in various areas, which will also affect the social benefits, Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) and the Health North Clinic Association.

focus on austerity measures

In order to cope with the financial problems, savings of around 254 million euros are planned within the next three years. This was listed in a Report by taz . In this context, the green finance senator Fecker will also point out a strict budget discipline and find that savings households represent the new normally for Bremen.

The planned measures for increasing the income include increasing the real estate transfer tax, a possible introduction of a tourism tax and the increase in administrative and parking fees. The costs for daycare and elementary school lunch should also increase, in addition to the leash interest in the harbor.

debt problem

Bremen recorded the highest debt burden per citizen, with a total amount of almost 24 billion euros. These debts include many contaminated sites, including the challenges of the shipyard crisis. A renovation agreement with the stability council gives the city a deadline until the end of 2024 to put the financial fortunes in order. This agreement ensures that the stability council will check compliance with the austerity measures.

In the coming weeks, the citizens will discuss the draft budget for the current year. The budget for 2024 is to be decided until the summer break, while the budget is to be determined for 2025 to the end of the year. For 2024, Bremen plans to make freshness of 1.3 billion euros, which increases the dependence on new loans.

public editions and challenges

Personnel expenses in Bremen exceed the billion euros in 2024 according to the current forecasts. In addition, additional positions are also considered in the administration. Much of the budget funds goes into the areas of "children and education", "universities and research", as well as "social" and "public security". Despite the massive savings, the financial challenges should not be underestimated; Bremen is legally obliged to comply with a renovation program in order to avoid a budget emergency position. Exogenous shocks such as natural disasters or global risks could also endanger the planned measures.

The current discussions about the finances of the city of Bremen show that the challenges of the next few years not only require austerity measures, but also a fundamental examination of the question of what a sustainable and future -proof financial policy can look like for a high -fault federal state.