You think once you have socialism, the socialists are done?
...(Bloomberg) Merkel’s two red lines in coalition talks are her rejection of joint euro-area bonds and her refusal to raise taxes, according to a person familiar with her strategy. The SPD campaigned on raising the top income-tax rate to 49 percent from as low as 42 percent to bolster spending on infrastructure and education.
Merkel’s CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, spent weeks in exploratory talks, including overtures to the Greens party, before deciding to form a government with the SPD. The SPD this week approved the negotiations after setting “essential” conditions, including a national minimum wage of 8.50 euros ($11.72).
Merkel told her parliamentary group two days ago that negotiations on the minimum wage will be very tough, and that while there’s a degree of willingness to compromise, jobs mustn’t be put at risk, a party official told reporters. Merkel said she’s aware that wages in eastern Germany and in the agricultural industry are very low, and that employment could be harmed by imposing a minimum wage, the official said.
|
