{
  "id": 2917997,
  "title": "Guest commentary: Germany must finally put people and machines on an equal footing in terms of taxation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/gastkommentar-deutschland-muss-kopfe-und-maschinen-steuerlich-endlich",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-24T02:02:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/gastkommentar-deutschland-muss-koepfe-und-maschinen-steuerlich-endlich-gleichsetzen/100248651.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Germany's Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche has halted applications for funding under the Central Innovation Programme for Medium-Sized Enterprises (ZIM) due to the fund being fully utilised. Many applicants will miss out on funding this year. The country's innovation and technology transfer rely heavily on state funding programmes. Instead of creating new funding pots, the government is urged to strengthen companies' self-financing capabilities, particularly for medium-sized enterprises that often bridge the gap between research and market. A modernisation of tax law to extend investment deductions to intangible assets could help entrepreneurs invest in future technologies.",
  "summary": "In Germany, innovation and technology transfer from research to the economy are too often dependent on state subsidy programs, writes Marie-Christine Ostermann.",
  "key_points": [
    "Germany's innovation scene faces funding crisis due to exhausted ZIM pool",
    "Government urged to strengthen companies' financing ability for innovations",
    "Tax law modernization suggested to extend investment deduction to intangible assets"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Germany's reliance on state funding for innovation stifles companies' ability to self-finance, and modernizing tax law to include intangible assets in investment deductions could facilitate investment in future technologies.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}