German conservatives appeal to voters with vow not to hike taxes

CSU leader Markus Soeder (left) and CDU leader Armin Laschet holding a joint news conference in Berlin on June 20, 2021. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

BERLIN (REUTERS) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives promised to cap the corporate tax rate and not raise wealth and inheritance taxes in an election programme intended to see off the fading challenge of their main Greens rivals, a draft reviewed by Reuters showed on Monday (June 21).

The manifesto is in stark contrast to plans by the Greens to raise taxes on high-income individuals and the rich to fund a transition to a carbon-neutral economy and makes it more difficult for the two parties to form a coalition government after September's election.

The conservatives have extended their lead over the Greens to about 8 points in opinion polls after a divisive battle over who should be their candidate to replace Dr Merkel, who will step down as chancellor after a Sept 26 federal election.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Armin Laschet, who is now the frontrunner to become chancellor, hopes the election programme will cement the conservatives' recently regained lead over the Greens in opinion polls and secure victory in September.

"We want to put the economy back on a growth path after the (coronavirus) pandemic and raising taxes would be the wrong way," Mr Laschet told a joint news conference with Mr Markus Soeder, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Mr Laschet and Mr Soeder put on a show of unity after a bruising battle in April to be their parties' joint candidate for chancellor, in which the CDU leader eventually prevailed.

The Greens surged ahead of the conservatives in late April after they picked Ms Annalena Baerbock, 40, as their candidate to run for chancellor, with her promise of change capturing voters' imagination.

But since then, a regional election setback, criticism over a Christmas bonus payment that Ms Baerbock failed to declare to Parliament and a suggestion that Germany should arm Ukraine have hurt the Greens.

An INSA poll on Saturday put support for the CDU/CSU at 28 per cent, ahead of the Greens at 20 per cent.

The left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD) were at 16 per cent, the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) at 13 per cent, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 11 per cent and the leftist Linke at 6 per cent.

The latest polls would not give the CDU/CSU enough support to form a coalition with the FDP, their favoured partner, but point to probably just enough support for a CDU/CSU coalition with the Greens, or a Greens-led tie-up with the SPD and FDP.

The conservatives, which are expected to approve their election programme on Monday, want to cap the corporate tax rate at about 25 per cent from just under 30 per cent now.

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