1626 GMT - The risk of the current German government collapsing appears higher than ever, ING's Carsten Brzeski says in a note. A paper by finance minister Christian Lindner that leaked last week proposes lowering corporate taxes, abolishing the so-called solidarity surcharge, longer working hours and more flexible retirement ages. The paper adds to growing tensions within the ruling coalition, the economist writes. Lindner tied his policy paper to the budget for 2025, which will have to be signed off by mid-November. While a compromise is possible, political fallout appears inevitable, Brzeski notes. If Lindner's Free Democratic Party were to withdraw from the coalition government, rather than automatically triggering a snap election, a minority government could rule until the next vote due for September 2025. (edward.frankl@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 04, 2024 11:26 ET (16:26 GMT)
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