PUBLIC FINANCE
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007Th e 1967 Law for the Promotion of Economic Stability and
Growth requires the federal and state governments to orient their
budgets to the main economic policy objectives of price stability,
high employment, balanced foreign trade, and steady commensurate
growth. Th e Financial Planning Council, formed in 1968, coordinates
the federal government, states, municipalities, and the
Bundesbank in setting public budgets. Income, corporate turnover,
mineral oil, and trade taxes account for more than 80% of
all tax revenue, with the federal government controlling just under
half of it. Since the 1960s, social insurance provisions have accounted
for the largest share of federal expenditures. Germany’s
reunifi cation in 1990 raised special problems with regard to economic
and fi nancial assimilation. Th e Unifi cation Treaty provided
that the new states should be incorporated in the fi nancial system
established by the Basic Law as much as possible from the onset.
Th erefore, since 1991, the new states have basically been subject to
the same regulations with regard to budgetary management and
tax distribution as the western states. A “German Unity Fund” was
initiated to provide fi nancial support for the new states (and their
municipalities); it is jointly fi nanced by the western states, with
most of the money being raised in the capital market.
Th e US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) estimated that in
2005 Germany’s central government took in revenues of approximately
$1.2 trillion and had expenditures of $1.3 trillion. Revenues
minus expenditures totaled approximately -$113 billion.
Public debt in 2005 amounted to 68.1% of GDP. Total external
debt was $3.626 trillion.
Th e International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that in 2003,
the most recent year for which it had data, central government
revenues were €653.46 billion and expenditures were €698.61
billion. Th e value of revenues was us$738 million and expenditures
us$788 million, based on a market exchange rate for 2003
of us$1 = €.8860 as reported by the IMF. Government outlays by
function were as follows: general public services, 13.7%; defense,
3.6%; public order and safety, 0.4%; economic aff airs, 6.7%; environmental
protection, 0.1%; housing and community amenities,
0.9%; health, 19.3%; recreation, culture, and religion, 0.1%; education,
0.4%; and social protection, 54.8%.