Germany is reportedly working on a debt-financed supplementary budget of more than 60 billion or $71 billion, according to Reuters. The debt will push up net new borrowing to a record of over 240 billion euros this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Germany’s massive fiscal push is needed because of a longer-than-expected coronavirus lockdown.
- Finance Minister Olaf Scholz is expected to present the supplementary budget for this year and the fiscal framework for 2022 next Wednesday.
- Last year, the federal government took on net new debt of 130 billion euros, the highest annual new borrowing on record.
- The supplementary budget comes on top of the initially planned net new borrowing of some 180 billion euros.
- To allow the deficit spending, parliament suspended the constitutional debt break for 2020 and 2021, limiting net new borrowing to 0.35% of GDP.
- Scholz plans to use the budget emergency clause also next year, with officials still working on the volume and details of the 2022 draft budget.
- Scholz could also suggest a fiscal framework with annual net new borrowing of up to 80 billion euros for next year.
German stocks are currently declining. DAX is down 0.96%
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