Pod­cast – Union/SPD: ‘Bye-bye, debt brake!’ Plus: Cen­tre Par­ty ini­tia­tive on AHV pen­sions for mar­ried cou­ples

Summary: The debt brake in Germany is history: defence spending above one percent of gross domestic product is no longer to be paid from current tax revenues, but with new debt. In addition, the CDU/CSU and SPD want to invest up to 500 billion euros in infrastructure – also bypassing the debt brake. And the federal states are also to be allowed to incur more debt. A good idea? We are also discussing the Centre Party's initiative to abolish the so-called marriage penalty in the AHV. Should the cap on married couples' pensions, which is currently set at 150 per cent of the maximum pension, be lifted? And how should married couples be taxed in the future: jointly, but no more heavily than unmarried couples, as the Centre Party is calling for – or individually, as the FDP women want?

You can find the complete episode from the 18th of March 2025 on:

• Spotify
• Apple

Alexandra Janssen completed a doctorate at the University of Zurich and is now CEO of the asset management company ‘ECOFIN Portfolio Solutions’. She is also a member of the scientific advisory board of the "Institut für Schweizer Wirtschaftspolitik" at the University of Lucerne.

Fabio Canetg completed his doctorate at the University of Bern and the Toulouse School of Economics and now works as a lecturer at the Universities of Bern and Neuchâtel, as an economic consultant for financial institutions and the media, and as a freelance moderator, speaker and copywriter.

_{Translated by DeepL}