German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/73,
pp. 8602-8603.
Frau President. Ladies and gentlemen.
In Germany, 75 percent of renters dream of their own four
walls. Yet only the fewest have succeeded in also realizing this dream; since,
according to the ECB, the Germans are the poorest in the euro zone. Thus, the
assets of an average Greek family are double as high as that of a German
family, in Spain and Italy even four times as high as with us. And in regards
the pension level, Germany with just 48 percent is far behind. Spain, for
example, has 83 percent, Austria 89 percent and Italy even 91 percent.
We have the world’s highest energy prices, and we have with
just 45 percent the lowest rate of home ownership in the EU. Here in Berlin it
is even just 15 percent, while in France 64 percent, in Italy 72 percent, in
Greece 76 percent, in Czechia 80 percent and in Slovakia even 92 percent live
within their own four walls. The European cut thus lies over 70 percent. We
thus have not only the highest energy prices, the smallest household assets
with the lowest pension level, but also the lowest home ownership rate in the
EU.
Now the inflation also devours the rest of the citizens
savings. It is therefore now certainly much more important to bring as many
people as possible within their own four walls. Since this is the best
inflation protection, the best safeguard for elders, and provides in crises like
today’s stability and security to people. And therefore we want to make Germany
from a land of renters into a land of homeowners.
Yet then why is Germany at all the taillight in the EU’s
home ownership rate? The German Bundesbank states in a study that for one thing
it lies, in international comparison, in the much too high real property sales
taxes [Grunderwerbsteuer]; and for
another, that the mortgage interest, unlike as in many other countries, cannot
be deducted even for the self-use dwelling. Yet that was once in Germany
otherwise, as in the administration of Helmut Kohl, – it is already quite a
while – the costs for one’s own home could be deducted from taxes. That then
made home ownership possible, despite astronomical rates well over 10 percent.
We demand in our motion [Drucksache
20/3204] that the real property sales tax be lowered to 3.5 percent
throughout Germany, and before all, that the purchase of one’s own first home
must be completely free of taxes. That would of course finally eliminate the
social injustice that large capital companies pay practically no real property
sales tax, while the normal citizen always needs to pay for everything.
In addition, the prices for home ownership need again to
become affordable. For that, the construction guidelines and the cost-driving
climate guidelines are to be reduced, the contract procedures accelerated and
the rural area finally again made more attractive. Since while in the urban
centers 2 million affordable dwellings are lacking, 1.7 million dwellings in
rural areas stand empty.
Let us finally do it like our European neighbors and as the German Bundesbank recommends: With one’s own four walls, we attain for the people inflation protection, an old age safeguard, stability and security. Let us finally make Germany from a country of renters into a country of owners!
[trans: tem]
