Reiche promises relief

Bad Saarow/Berlin (dpa/d.de) – According to Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche, the federal cabinet will launch an initial relief package for businesses by mid-July. It will include a reduction in electricity tax and initial labour market reforms, Reiche said at the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow. Growth was the order of the day, said the minister, adding that the government would be setting new incentives.  

“We will begin by adopting what we’re calling an ‘investment booster’, significantly improving depreciation options, and then move on to corporate tax reform in the second half of the legislative period,” Reiche said. She said she expected this to mark a “trend reversal”. The Brandenburg-born minister also noted that eastern Germany had made economic progress in recent years and was now an attractive location for investors. 

So-called “living labs” are also intended to support the German economy: these are testing environments for potential innovations and related regulatory frameworks – for example in the fields of digitalisation or sustainability. The aim here is enable early evaluation of the opportunities and risks associated with innovation. The federal cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the relevant “Living Labs Act”.