Haushalt: Staatsschulden steigen im 1. Halbjahr um 99 Milliarden Euro
Tankrabatt, Steuerentlastungen und steigende Zinslast: Der deutsche Staat gibt deutlich mehr aus, als er einnimmt. Besonders ein Posten treibt das Minus in die Höhe.
The deficit of Germany's public budgets expanded notably in the first half of the year, driven by fuel price reductions and increased interest payments, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Friday. The overall shortfall amounted to 98.8 billion Euros, more than doubling the shortfall from the previous period of 58.5 billion Euros.
The rise in deficits was primarily due to significantly higher expenditures, accounting for six percent of the increase, compared to only two percent growth in revenues. All levels of government recorded deficits in the first half of the year. The largest share of the total deficit was contributed by the federal government, with its financing gap more than doubling to 72.3 billion Euros.
Revenue-side measures such as the reduction of the industrial and agricultural electricity tax, as well as the May and June fuel rebate, contributed to the deficit, causing federal tax revenues to fall by 3.1 percent. Simultaneously, interest payments surged, increasing by over a fifth to 31.2 billion Euros for the public general budget.
Investors demanded significantly higher returns for purchasing government bonds, driven by rising inflation and competition from attractive corporate bonds, such as those financing data centers for artificial intelligence.
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