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Summary report
26th Subsidy Report
Federal government report on trends in federal financial assistance
and tax benefits for the years 2015 to 2018
Summary report
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Contents
I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................5
V. Summary......................................................................................................................................................... 35
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Tables
Figures
I. Introduction
The federal cabinet adopted the federal ular Subsidy Reports provide the German
government’s 26th Subsidy Report on Bundestag and the federal government with
23 August 2017. In accordance with section the information needed to conduct reviews
12 of the Act to Promote Economic Stability of subsidies.
and Growth (Gesetz zur Förderung der Sta- The federal government’s 26th Subsidy
bilität und des Wachstums der Wirtschaft), Report outlines trends in federal financial
every two years the federal government assistance and tax benefits during the pe-
submits to the Bundestag and Bundesrat an riod from 2015 to 2018. This English-lan-
overview of federal financial assistance and guage summary report presents the main
tax benefits. The report is submitted in con- findings of the full report. The full report is
junction with the government draft of the available in German on the website of the
federal budget. Federal Ministry of Finance, www.bundes-
The federal government’s subsidy pol- finanzministerium.de. In addition to the in-
icy reflects the prudence and reliability of formation contained in this summary, the
its overall fiscal policy. In particular, the full report includes standardised data sheets
intensified implementation of the federal for the individual financial assistance items
government’s subsidy policy guidelines and and tax benefits.
the targeted design of assistance measures
help to ensure the efficient use of financial
resources for the purpose of facilitating the
forward-looking development of the Ger-
man economy. Subsidies that are no longer
necessary are wound down, and new subsi-
dies are introduced in areas where they can
boost competitiveness or provide temporary
support for the advancement of pro-growth
technologies. The federal government’s reg-
3DJH6XEVLG\SROLF\DQGGHILQLWLRQV
Under certain conditions, subsidies can be a with the result that recipients fail to make
legitimate instrument of fiscal policy in the the necessary adaptations and are less in-
social market economy. The decisive factor clined to tackle structural challenges. These
here is their impact in terms of growth, re- problems can delay crucial structural ad-
distribution, competition and the environ- justments, cause a loss of international com-
ment. Subsidy policy must therefore also petitiveness, and impede economic growth
take into account the external effects of as- and employment. For this reason, subsidies
sistance measures as well as their redistrib- should generally be both temporary and de-
utive effects and potential knock-on costs. gressive by design.
Public assistance can help level out regional Subsidies also require special justifica-
disparities (one example here is “Improve- tion in connection with their potential im-
ment of regional economic structures”, a pact on the environment, not only in terms
programme funded jointly by the Federa- of resource consumption but also in terms
tion and the Länder), create incentives for of the costs arising from the need to mit-
the broad-based introduction of technologi- igate environmental and health-related
cal innovations, accelerate the market entry damage. The federal government regularly
process and facilitate structural adjustment. assesses whether subsidies that make short-
However, subsidies always require special term sense can be replaced over the me-
justification, together with regular evalua- dium term with market-based solutions that
tions of their efficiency and success. This is are not dependent on government budgets.
because long-term favourable arrangements Putting in place climate-friendly fiscal and
that benefit individual market participants tax policies also calls for the ongoing reduc-
at the expense of others generally have ad- tion of subsidies that have an adverse im-
verse effects. For example, by altering rel- pact on the environment. In this context,
ative prices over a sustained period, subsi- the impacts that any modifications might
dies can lead to economic distortions and have on low-income households or on the
the misallocation of resources. In addition, international competitiveness of affected
subsidised companies can crowd compet- economic sectors are also duly taken into
itive companies out of markets. Further- account.
more, subsidies pose the risk of creating a
dependency culture, or a “subsidy mindset”,
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The federal government follows subsidy way that it handles subsidy measures under
policy guidelines that serve to enhance the its remit. They must be taken into account
subsidy system’s transparency, accountabil- every time a new subsidy is introduced or an
ity and governance (see Box 1). The guide- existing subsidy is modified.
lines constitute a voluntary commitment
by the federal government regarding the
Box 1
• New subsidies shall be granted only if they are the best-suited instrument and are efficient on a
cost-benefit basis, compared with other measures.
• New subsidies shall be granted preferably as financial assistance and shall be financed from
savings elsewhere.
• The objectives of financial assistance shall be formulated in a way that makes it possible to
evaluate the success of such measures.
• Federal subsidy policy shall take into account the impact of subsidies on growth, redistribu-
tion, competition and the environment. The federal government’s Subsidy Reports shall explain
whether or not subsidies are sustainable.
• As a rule, all subsidies shall be subject to regular evaluation in terms of target attainment, effi-
ciency and transparency.
• Existing tax benefits shall be reviewed with a view to replacing them with financial assistance
or other measures that place a smaller burden on public finances.
• Time limits and, in general, degression rules shall be introduced for existing financial assistance
items and for financial assistance items not yet designed to be temporary and degressive.
3DJH 6XEVLG\SROLF\DQGGHILQLWLRQV
New subsidies must undergo especially rig- ing existing financial assistance. Financial
orous scrutiny before they are introduced, assistance can be modified in many cases on
because entrenchment hinders subsequent the basis of federal government guidelines
change. Recipients often claim that subsi- or administrative agreements. Objectives
dies are the only feasible option, although must be precisely specified and continu-
in some cases the same outcome could be ously monitored. If the targeted objective
achieved at far lower cost by other means, has been attained or is no longer justified, if
such as regulatory measures. Against this it cannot be attained with the type of meas-
background, and given the ongoing need to ure in question, or if there is another, better
consolidate public finances, all new subsi- means of attaining the objective, then a sub-
dies – including tax benefits – must be im- sidy must be discontinued without delay. It
mediately, permanently and fully offset by is also essential to prevent separate meas-
savings elsewhere. ures from having contradictory effects or
Tax benefits often have the same effect cancelling each other out.
as a spending programme and indeed are In order to enhance accountability, the
sometimes referred to as “tax expenditures”. federal government expanded the subsidy
However, tax benefits have a number of dis- policy guidelines by adding a passage re-
advantages compared with financial assis- quiring subsidies to be subject to sustain-
tance. They are not capped by budget ap- ability impact assessments and, in general,
propriations and are not part of the annual to regular evaluation cycles.
budget preparation process. In most cases By conducting sustainability impact as-
the size of the revenue shortfall can only be sessments, the federal government is under-
estimated. Tax benefits can generate dead- scoring its intention to ensure that its sub-
weight losses, tend to become entrenched, sidy policies are geared more towards the
and run the risk of quickly ceasing to be principle of sustainability. In general, the as-
regarded as subsidies. Tax expenditures fi- sessments are based on Germany’s national
nanced from joint tax revenues have the sustainability strategy and the requirement
same effect as joint tasks carried out with – in effect since the 16th legislative term – to
federal, Länder and local authority funding conduct sustainability impact assessments
in accordance with the respective formula as part of overall regulatory impact assess-
for allocating tax revenue. Changes in the ments. Sustainability impact assessments
law in such cases require the consent of the of subsidies focus on their long-term eco-
Bundesrat. nomic, environmental and social effects.
For all of these reasons, tax benefits Long-term subsidies for specific eco-
prove difficult to reform and control. For nomic sectors can lead to subsidy depend-
this reason, new subsidies – to the extent ence, and this risk is enough in itself to ne-
that they are necessary – should preferably cessitate the ongoing review of subsidies.
be granted as financial assistance, and eval- Furthermore, arguments used to justify the
uations of existing tax benefits should check introduction of individual subsidies may
whether it would be feasible to convert such lose their relevance over time. The federal
benefits into financial assistance items or government’s commitment to conducting
regulatory measures (see definition of "fi- regular evaluations underscores its inten-
nancial assistance" and "tax benefits" in sec- tion to make public finances more out-
tion 2.2 below). come-oriented and to make the effects of
In contrast to tax benefits, the federal subsidies more transparent.
government generally carries a higher level Adverse outcomes can be mitigated
of responsibility when it comes to modify- or prevented by designing subsidies to be
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temporary and degressive. The basic prin- nated as miscellaneous financial assistance.
ciple that financial assistance must be Forms of assistance that directly reduce the
time-limited by design enables the federal prices of certain goods and services for pri-
government to review the effectiveness of vate households but may indirectly boost
assistance measures and, where appropri- the private sector are referred to as indirect
ate, to discontinue or re-design them. While subsidies. This applies, for instance, to assis-
certain government functions are based on tance for housing construction.
statutory or even constitutional provisions A similar definition applies to tax bene-
that cannot and should not be rendered fits, which are classified in the same way as
time-limited by government decision, the financial assistance. A special tax regulation
federal government can nevertheless es- is regarded as a subsidy – and hence as a tax
tablish temporary framework plans or ad- benefit for the purposes of Subsidy Reports
ministrative agreements, particularly for – if it directly or indirectly benefits specific
functions like these. This provides a reason sectors or subsectors of the economy. Tax
and an opportunity to regularly review how benefits also include special tax regulations
these functions are carried out. The rule that that directly benefit business and industry
all financial assistance items must be tem- over the general public.
porary by design ensures that these same Federal expenditures on general state
options can be put into place for measures tasks (such as funding for basic research) do
that have hitherto not been subject to time not count as subsidies, although it can be
limits. difficult to draw the line in individual cases.
Federal guarantees also do not count as sub-
sidies; the main reason for this is that the
2.2 Definition of subsidies typically low risk of default makes it highly
unlikely that budgetary resources will have
The subject matter to be covered in Subsidy to be spent. In any case, trends in federal
Reports is stipulated in section 12 of the Act and other guarantees are documented in
to Promote Economic Stability and Growth, the financial reports regularly published by
and these rules have remained unchanged the Federal Ministry of Finance. Grants and
since 1967. Financial assistance is defined capital injections for federal enterprises are
for this purpose as federal funds allocated likewise not counted as subsidies. Other fed-
to agencies outside the federal administra- eral government reports provide targeted
tion and deployed for the benefit of private information on specific policy areas. For ex-
businesses or economic sectors. Tax benefits, ample, federal enterprises are covered in the
in turn, are special tax rules that lead to a re- Federation’s report on government hold-
duction in public revenue. ings.
In accordance with the statutory man- Both the question of which specific ar-
date, the definition of federal subsidies fo- rangements are to be classified as subsidies
cuses on assistance to private businesses as well as the general definition of subsidies
and economic sectors. Section 12 of the Act for the purpose of the Subsidy Report are a
to Promote Economic Stability and Growth recurring subject of academic and political
specifically describes financial assistance debate. The Subsidy Report’s general focus
as federal funds used to support adapta- on assistance for private enterprises and
tion, maintenance and productivity in busi- economic sectors means that large areas of
nesses and economic sectors. Assistance that the federal budget are excluded that could
does not fall into these categories is desig- be classified as subsidies using other defini-
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Financial assistance is set to grow by just new subsidy for purchases of electric cars.
under €3.6 billion during the reporting pe- Federal tax benefits are projected to rise
riod. The largest increase – a difference of from €15.4 billion in 2015 to €16.1 billion in
€3.0 billion between actual spending in 2016 2018. The main factor driving this increase
and target spending in 2017 – is targeted to- is the new tax benefit under section 8d of
wards forward-looking federal investments the Corporation Tax Act, which exempts loss
(which were allotted to individual ministries carry-forwards from forfeiture pursuant to
for the first time under the 2015 supple- section 8c of the Corporation Tax Act, on
mentary budget) and towards new financial the condition that the company in question
assistance items. The individual subsidies maintains the same business operations.
that account for the greatest share of this To give an indication of how subsidy
increase are support for the nationwide ex- trends compare with economic and gen-
pansion of broadband networks; measures eral budgetary trends, various subsidy ratios
to promote energy-efficient building refur- are shown in Figure 2. Financial assistance
bishment and to improve energy efficiency; as a percentage of federal public spending
a new financial assistance measure to opti- declined steadily from 1997 to 2008 be-
mise pumping and heating systems; and a fore rising in 2009 in response to the global
18
15,9 16,1
16 15,4 15,4
14
12
10
8,9 9,1
8 7,5
6,4
5,9
6 5,5
0
2015 2016 2017 2018
Financial assistance (actual) Financial assistance (target) Tax benefits (estimated)
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in %
10.0
9.1 9.0
8.5
8.0 8.1 8.2
7.8
8.0 7.4 7.3
6.8 6.9
6.4 6.3
5.8 5.8 5.9 5.9
6.0 5.7 5.5 5.3 5.3 5.1
5.2
4.9
4.0 4.4
4.1
3.9 2.7 2.7
3.4 2.2 2.4
3.2 2.1 2.1
2.9 1.9 1.8
2.0 2.7
2.3 2.2 2.3
2.1 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9
1.8 1.8
1.6
1.1 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0
0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8
0.0 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018
Tax benefits (federal) to tax revenue (federal) Federal assistance to expenditure (federal)
Budgeted financial assistance to budgeted federal expenditure Subsidies to GDP (nominal)
3DJH 6XEVLG\WUHQGV
in €bn
30.0
25.0 1.5
1.7
3
3
1.4 1.5 0.7
20.0 0.8
2.4 2.5
4.4
0.8 0.7 4.2
15.0 4.1 2.2
4.0 1.9
1.4 1.6 13.1 13.4
10.0 11.0 11.0
5.0
0.0
2015 2016 2017 2018
Trade and industry Housing
Miscellaneous tax benefits Saving and investment incentives
Transport Food, agriculture and consumer protection
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Table 3: Trends in federal financial assistance and tax benefits, 2015 to 2018 (in €m)1)
Total (2) 3,015 7,954 10,969 3,248 7,723 10,971 5,175 7,947 13,122 5,381 8,027 13,408
3. Transport 269 2,147 2,416 291 2,177 2,468 724 2,256 2,980 694 2,314 3,008
4. Housing 1,323 100 1,423 1,541 89 1,630 1,821 84 1,905 2,173 77 2,250
6. Miscellaneous
financial assistance - 3,956 3,956 - 4,079 4,079 - 4,225 4,225 - 4,355 4,355
and tax benefits2)
Total 1 to 63) 5,542 15,408 20,950 5,943 15,391 21,334 8,868 15,880 24,748 9,092 16,143 25,235
Table 4: Trends in tax benefits for the years 2015 to 2018, by category (in €m)
6. Miscellaneous tax benefits1) 7,957 3,956 8,197 4,079 8,482 4,225 8,737 4,355
1) Mainly tax benefits that directly benefit private households but affect business activity in important sectors of the economy.
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3.5 Overall subsidy trends that, in the future, Länder and local author-
ity data would be based on the same meth-
by jurisdiction and
odology.
government level For local authorities, subsidy figures
were calculated using a set of categories
In accordance with the mandate laid down and functions (i.e. budget headings for
in the Act to Promote Economic Stability types of expenditures and functions) con-
and Growth, Subsidy Reports provide an tained in the annual accounts of local au-
overview of the federal-level financial assis- thorities. This method of calculation shows
tance items and tax benefits for each budget that local authority financial assistance to-
year. In addition to this, Table 5 outlines talled €2.42 billion in 2011, a figure that ex-
trends in federal, Länder and local author- ceeds the previously used extrapolation of
ity subsidies as well as subsidies from the €1.5 billion. An increase in the volume of
European Recovery Programme (ERP) and local authority subsidies was expected, be-
the European Union. For the first time, this cause a considerable number of functions
report includes estimates of financial assis- have been outsourced from the core budgets
tance granted by local authorities for the of local authorities over the past 20 years.
period up to and including 2018. As in past Subsequent figures for local authority sub-
reports, data on Länder and ERP financial sidies were extrapolated from the 2011 (base
assistance and on EU market-related ex- year) figures based on the rates of change in
penditure are not available for the entire re- net expenditures contained in local authori-
porting period. ties’ quarterly cash statistics.
The data on Länder financial assistance Länder and local authority tax revenue
was provided by ZDL, the central data of- shortfalls are estimated by the Federal Min-
fice of the Länder finance ministries. ZDL istry of Finance. Figures on EU market-re-
also performed the calculations of local au- lated expenditure and ERP financial assis-
thority financial assistance for this report, tance are also taken into account insofar as
based on an analysis of relevant categories such figures are available.
and functions; this is similar to the meth- To avoid double-counting, the financial
odology it uses to calculate Länder financial assistance figures reported by the Länder
assistance. are reduced by the amount of the federal
Previously, the figures used as a basis share of Länder financial assistance already
for extrapolating the local authority sub- accounted for under federal financial assis-
sidy amounts cited in Subsidy Reports were tance. The figures reported by the Länder
taken from an RWI study produced in 1992. are based on a uniform framework tailored
For the current Subsidy Report, the Federal to the purposes of federal subsidy report-
Ministry of Finance asked ZDL to review ing. This framework was developed in the
whether figures for the local authority level 1980s on the basis of the general framework
could be calculated in essentially the same recommended by the Working Commit-
way that Länder figures are calculated so tee on Budget Law and the Arrangement
of the Budget System. It is a purely techni-
cal solution used to calculated approximate
figures for Länder financial assistance that
falls under the definitions applied in the
federal Subsidy Report. As the budget head-
ings included are not examined in detail re-
3DJH 6XEVLG\WUHQGV
garding the extent to which they constitute ERP financial assistance stood at approx-
financial assistance, these figures are only imately €250 million in 2016. From 2008 on-
indicative of trends in Länder subsidies. In wards, the figures for ERP funding no longer
2012, changes were made to the system for represent the total amount of newly issued
classifying functions in the budget. To ac- loans but rather only the subsidy amount,
commodate these changes, ZDL modified which is derived mainly from the reduced
the framework for the reporting years from interest rates of these loans. This change in
2013 onwards. At the same time, in consul- methodology had the effect of altering the
tation with the Länder, ZDL made a number overall total for 2016 by roughly €4.8 billion;
of substantive changes to the framework. As this must be kept in mind when interpreting
a result, trends in Länder financial assistance long-term trends.
from 2013 onwards have only limited com- The ERP Special Fund provides low-in-
parability with the years prior to 2013. terest financing to support new businesses,
Länder financial assistance is projected SMEs in the trade and industrial sectors, and
to increase from an actual spending total persons who provide professional services.
of €8.4 billion in 2015 to a target of roughly In particular, ERP loans aim to support
€10.7 billion in 2017. As in previous reports, start-ups and innovation. The ERP Special
the size of this increase is partly a result of Fund covers the interest rebate component,
the difference between actual spending fig- and the KfW is responsible for refinancing
ures and budgeted targets. Assistance for the loans. Table 5 shows the total amount of
trade and industry will register a particu- interest rebates granted for each year. The
larly sharp increase of €1.7 billion from figures also include federal interest subsi-
2016 to 2017. This growth is due in part to dies paid to the ERP Special Fund to boost
investment funding allocated to local au- the amount of funding that can be provided
thorities (the Local Authority Investment in specific areas.
Promotion Fund). Financial assistance in EU market-related expenditure consists
the housing sector is set to grow by over of return flows to Germany from the Euro-
€750 million in 2017 due to additional pean Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee
federal allocations to the Länder for housing Fund, Guarantee Section.
construction (these payments are referred
to as “unbundling funds” that serve to back
projects previously financed jointly by the
Federation and Länder). Assistance in the
area of food, agriculture and forestry will
also grow significantly this year, by nearly
€600 million, with topped-up agricultural
assistance to the eastern Länder accounting
for over half of this amount. In contrast to
the Federation, which counts only one-third
of its spending on urban development as fi-
nancial assistance, the Länder treat 100% of
their expenditures on urban development
(excluding federal allocations) as subsidies.
This means that Länder financial assistance
figures in this area tend to be overstated.
7ZHQW\6L[WK6XEVLG\5HSRUWRIWKH)HGHUDO*RYHUQPHQWVXPPDU\ 3DJH
Table 5: Reported total volume of federal, Länder, municipal, ERP and EU1) subsidies
(in €bn)
1970 1975 1980 1985 19902) 1995 2000 2005 2010 2013 2014 2015 2016 20177) 20188)
1. Financial assistance
Federal 4.0 5.2 6.4 6.1 7.3 9.4 10.1 6.1 7.0 5.1 5.7 5.5 5.9 8.9 9.1
Länder3) 3.0 3.7 6.2 6.2 7.2 10.7 11.2 10.3 8.9 8.8 8.9 8.4 7.7 10.7
Local authorities4) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.1 1.5 1.6 1.4 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.0
2. Tax benefits
Federal 3.2 5.0 6.1 8.0 7.9 9.1 13.1 17.4 18.6 15.4 15.3 15.4 15.4 15.9 16.1
Länder and local
3.4 5.9 7.2 9.3 9.2 12.9 12.0 12.5 10.5 16.0 16.8 16.7 15.9 14.9 13.9
authorities5)
3. ERP financial assistance6) 0.6 0.7 1.4 1.5 2.9 5.9 5.7 3.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4
EU market-related
4. 1.5 1.1 3.2 4.1 4.9 5.4 5.6 6.3 5.7 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.1
expenditure
Total 1 to 4 16.1 22.0 30.9 35.6 40.3 55.0 59.4 57.2 53.4 53.5 54.8 54.3 53.1 53.7 42.1
1) Former Federal Republic of Germany 1970-1990; Federal Republic of Germany including former German Democratic Republic from 1991.
2) Including financial assistance for former East German Länder in supplementary budgets (excluding section B of the third supplement to the 1990 federal
budget).
3) Source: Zentrale Datenstelle der Landesfinanzminister (ZDL).
4) Local authority data: estimates based on trends in Länder subsidies; source from 2010 onwards: ZDL.
5) The substantial increase since 2013 is the result of temporarily higher volumes due to individuals bringing
forward the timing of the transfer of their estate to their heirs by means of gifts, ahead of a Federal Constitutional Court decision
(delivered on 17 December 2014) and a pending revision of the rules for inheritance and gift tax.
6) See also table 7. From 2008: Changeover from total loan amount to interest relief granted in connection with applications approved in current year,
over total term of loan or of other funding measures.
7) Data on EU market-related expenditure is not yet available for 2017.
8) Data on EU market-related expenditure, ERP financial assistance, Länder financial assistance is not yet available for 2018.
3DJH 6XEVLG\WUHQGV
in €bn
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Federal financial assistance Federal tax benefits Länder and local authority tax benefits
ERP financial assistance (excluding 2018) Länder financial assistance (excluding 2018) Local authority financial assistance
EU market-related expenditure (until 2016)
7ZHQW\6L[WK6XEVLG\5HSRUWRIWKH)HGHUDO*RYHUQPHQWVXPPDU\ 3DJH
4.1 Legal basis of subsidies creates legal certainty for private citizens,
businesses and the public administration.
The legal basis for financial assistance con- At the same time, however, providing
sists primarily of rules enacted by the exec- subsidies with a statutory foundation gen-
utive branch. This is the case for 58 of the 70 erally leads to their perpetuation. Because of
items of financial assistance cited in the cur- the large amount of government and parlia-
rent Subsidy Report, although it is also im- mentary effort involved, it is relatively rare
portant to take into account contracts that for subsidies based on primary legislation
the Federation concludes (e.g. with the KfW to be changed or revised. As a result, such
development bank) in connection with the subsidies are more firmly established from
implementation of individual programmes. the outset. This applies in particular to tax
12 financial assistance items are granted on benefits, which all require a basis in primary
the basis of statutory provisions. By their legislation. In contrast, financial assistance
very nature, all tax benefits have a statutory items are largely based on guidelines and
basis. can therefore usually be modified more eas-
A statutory basis makes the provision of ily. The annual budget preparation process
financial benefits more transparent to busi- often provides an impetus to modify cer-
nesses and private citizens: the criteria for tain guidelines, for example when a change
granting subsidies are openly disclosed, and in resource allocation necessitates adjust-
the specific details of the approval process ments.
are uniformly regulated and verifiable. This
Secondary
Primary
Legal basis legislation, guide- Total
legislation
lines or contract
Financial assistance Quantity 12 58 70
% 17.1 82.9 100
Volume (€bn, 2017) 3.90 4.97 8.87
% 44.0 56.0 100
Tax benefits Quantity 104 - 104
% 100 - 100
Volume (€bn, 2017) 15.9 - 15.9
% 100 - 100
3DJH .H\JHQHUDOILQGLQJVDQGILJXUHV
In all, 43 of the financial assistance items specific category (projected to rise to 31.3%
included in this report – which account for of total financial assistance in 2018). This
61.4% of the total – also qualify as state aid category includes such items as funding
under EU law. This shows that the defini- for measures to promote the use of renew-
tions of state aid and subsidies are closely able energy, improve energy efficiency, ex-
related, but also that the two terms cannot pand the broadband network and optimise
be used synonymously. For example, finan- pumping and heating systems. Assistance
cial assistance for housing and urban de- for private households that indirectly ben-
velopment does not constitute state aid, be- efits trade and industry is expected to ac-
cause it does not affect trade in the internal count for 23.7% of all financial assistance in
market. 2018. In particular, such assistance includes
funding for energy-efficiency building ret-
rofits and premiums under the Home Own-
4.2 Objectives of subsidies ership Saving Premium Act.
With regard to tax benefits, Table 6
The federal government’s subsidy policy shows only the federal share. Sectoral sup-
guidelines underscore the importance of port will account for the largest portion in
clear objectives. Clearly defined objectives 2018 at approximately 48.9%. This includes,
make it possible to evaluate the success of for example, energy and electricity tax bene-
each measure. The subsidy data sheets (see fits for manufacturing companies that were
annexes 7 and 8 of the full Subsidy Report) introduced as part of ecological tax reform
contain information on the objectives that legislation in order to maintain the interna-
each subsidy pursues. tional competitiveness of the manufactur-
In addition, the Act to Promote Economic ing sector. Adjustment assistance will make
Stability and Growth stipulates that subsi- up only a relatively small share of tax ben-
dies are to be classified according to their efits in 2018 (2.9%) and includes, in particu-
objective as sectoral support, adjustment lar, tax allowances and tax exemptions in
assistance or productivity/growth assis- the areas of trade, industry and agriculture.
tance. In addition to these three categories, Productivity and growth assistance, which
there are miscellaneous financial assistance includes such items as energy duty relief for
items and tax benefits that do not always fit combined heat and power generation (CHP),
clearly into a specific category. is expected to account for 14.8% of tax ben-
In 2018, sectoral support is expected to efits in 2018. Miscellaneous tax benefits
account for only a very small share of total (24.7% of total tax benefits in 2018) include,
financial assistance, at less than 0.1%. Ad- in particular, reduced rates of value-added
justment assistance, which is expected to ac- tax in various sectors. Tax benefits for pri-
count for over 35% of all financial assistance vate households (8.7% of total tax benefits in
in 2018, is centred on (a) joint Federation/ 2018) that indirectly assist trade and indus-
Länder tasks to promote regional industry try consist mainly of (a) deductions for ren-
and agriculture and (b) assistance to the coal ovation costs and (b) savings and investment
industry. Financial assistance for purposes incentives.
such as promoting private sector innovation
is classified as productivity and growth as-
sistance. This latter category is expected to
account for 9.5% of all financial assistance
in 2018. Miscellaneous financial assistance
covers subsidies that do not fit clearly into a
7ZHQW\6L[WK6XEVLG\5HSRUWRIWKH)HGHUDO*RYHUQPHQWVXPPDU\ 3DJH
Table 6: Federal financial assistance and tax benefits for business enterprises,
economic sectors and private households
For private households2) 2,693 12.9 2,822 13.2 3,218 13.0 3,551 14.1
Overall total 20,950 100 21,335 100 24,748 100 25,235 100
continues to be necessary and the extent to formance evaluation will be worth the as-
which it actually fulfils the desired objec- sociated costs. Performance evaluations are
tives. To do this, it is essential to define clear conducted internally as well as by the Bun-
goals at the time the subsidy is introduced. desrechnungshof (Germany’s SAI) and ex-
Because individual subsidies are struc- ternal appraisers.
tured differently and have different goals, In accordance with the subsidy policy
the data sheets on each subsidy (see an- guidelines, the full version of the Subsidy
nexes 7 and 8 of the full Subsidy Report) Report contains data sheets on each subsidy,
identify various ways of evaluating a meas- with general information on evaluation cy-
ure’s success. These include: verification of cles, the methodology used, and the findings
the proper use of funds by the responsible of evaluations. Evaluation findings provide
departments; outcome analysis and target an indication of the target accuracy and ef-
attainment monitoring based on target– ficiency of each subsidy and can thus aid
actual comparisons; and comparisons be- policy makers when considering whether a
tween a reference scenario with a subsidy subsidy should be retained without modifi-
scenario as part of a macroeconomic sim- cation, modified, reduced or discontinued.
ulation. High-quality analyses of outcomes A total of 52 of the 70 financial assistance
require estimates of how markets would items – or 74.3% – have been evaluated in-
have developed in the absence of state inter- ternally or externally during the reporting
vention. period. Overall, 85.9% of total financial as-
The selection of the method to be used sistance has been subject to evaluation. This
in conducting a performance evaluation represents another slight increase (of 0.6
may also be affected by cost-benefit consid- percentage points) over the previous Sub-
erations. In particular, for measures lacking sidy Report. 18 financial assistance items
a significant fiscal impact, it is often feasible were not subject to evaluation, for various
to conduct only internal evaluations, be- reasons: Some are new measures that need
cause the cost of preparing and delivering to be operating for a certain amount of time
data for external evaluations can be very before it makes sense to evaluate them. Oth-
high. Similarly, for temporary measures ers are so short-term in nature that evalua-
in their final funding phase, it is doubtful tions can be conducted – if at all – only after
whether any potential findings from a per- the programme runs out. Still others involve
measures which have already expired but pleted currently account for 46.8% of all fed-
still hold residual funding and for which no eral tax subsidies. The ongoing evaluation
further evaluations are planned. Non-evalu- of 32 additional tax benefits listed in the
ated financial assistance items will account 25th Subsidy Report will significantly in-
for 14.1% of total financial assistance in crease the number of measures that have
2017. For the most part, financial assistance been subject to external evaluation. This
items that involve large amounts of fund- means that, based on revenue estimates for
ing are evaluated externally. Financial as- the year 2017, approximately 85% of federal
sistance items evaluated externally will ac- tax subsidies will have been evaluated.
count for 76.6% of total financial assistance
in 2017, up from 70.4% in the previous Sub- Sustainability impact assessment
sidy Report.
External evaluations are performed by a Under the expanded subsidy policy guide-
wide range of experts. Internal evaluations lines, sustainability impact assessments are
are mostly conducted at shorter intervals. to be conducted on all subsidies. These are
The evaluations draw on expert knowledge carried out by the ministry with lead policy
from across the public administration. This responsibility for each particular subsidy.
process must be continued to arrive at more Sustainability is a guiding principle of fed-
uniform standards for both internal and ex- eral government policy and is targeted to-
ternal evaluations. wards the achievement of intergenerational
Along with evaluations of financial as- equity, social cohesion, quality of life, and
sistance items, there is a particular need to the acceptance of international responsi-
evaluate tax benefits. In the future, tax ben- bility. Accordingly, (a) the performance of
efits are to be evaluated at regular intervals. the economy, (b) the protection of natural
The plan here is, during each evaluation resources and (c) social responsibility are to
round, to review a set of tax benefits that (a) be combined in a way that ensures the long-
have major fiscal impacts and (b) have yet term sustainability of future developments.
to be evaluated externally or have not been Sustainability impact assessments are
evaluated externally in the past 10 years. As based on the 2016 update of Germany’s na-
part of its work to implement the expanded tional sustainability strategy, which was
subsidy policy guidelines, the Federal Min- approved by the federal cabinet on 11 Jan-
istry of Finance commissioned an exten- uary 2017. The update constitutes the most
sive research project in March 2017 that will comprehensive version of the national sus-
evaluate the largest tax benefits that have tainability strategy since it was first adopted
not yet been subject to external evaluation. in 2002. The strategy is increasingly inter-
This means that an additional 32 tax ben- national in its orientation and is geared
efits listed in Annex 2 of the 25th Subsidy in particular towards the Sustainable De-
Report are currently undergoing evaluation. velopment Goals (SDGs) contained in the
Of the 104 tax benefits granted during 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
the current reporting period, external eval- adopted by the United Nations. The updated
uations have been completed for 15 (14.4%), German strategy sets national targets for
and internal evaluations have been com- all 17 SDGs and specifies at least one indi-
pleted for 6 (5.8%). A priority is placed on cator-based national policy goal for each
evaluating tax benefits with major fiscal SDG. It also improves and refines the rules
impacts. As a result, federal tax benefits for for sustainability management. With these
which an evaluation has already been com- updates, the national sustainability strat-
7ZHQW\6L[WK6XEVLG\5HSRUWRIWKH)HGHUDO*RYHUQPHQWVXPPDU\ 3DJH
egy now provides the framework for imple- gets and indicators derived from the 17
menting the 2030 Agenda in Germany. SDGs and (b) the national sustainability
In line with the national sustainability strategy’s management rules, sustainability
strategy, sustainability impact assessments impact assessments place a central focus on
for subsidies examine the extent to which examining the outcomes of measures from
a particular subsidy affects the strategy’s various perspectives. This means that a co-
specified targets and management rules. herent subsidy policy aligned with Germa-
The assessments analyse the long-term eco- ny’s sustainability strategy must be attentive
nomic, environmental and social impacts of to potentially conflicting objectives.
the subsidy in question, i.e. how the subsidy The 11 newly introduced financial assis-
will affect such things as economic prosper- tance items, which are included as subsidies
ity, financial security, climate protection, in this report, will have a largely positive im-
resource conservation and job creation/ pact on the targets and indicators contained
retention. By aligning its system of targets in Germany’s sustainability strategy. Five of
and indicators with the UN’s sustainability these items are targeted towards environ-
goals, Germany is making sure that its pol- mental outcomes such as the promotion
icies also place a stronger focus on impor- of climate protection, resource conserva-
tant international targets involving global tion and renewable energy use. These items
supply and value chains, such as promoting support Germany’s clean energy transition
decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and include programmes and measures that
and ensuring sustainable consumption and focus on renewable energy; electricity and
production patterns (SDG 12). This means in power grids; digitisation and energy infra-
addition that the sustainability impact as- structure; the optimisation of pumping and
sessments enshrined in Germany’s subsidy heating systems; and subsidies for the pur-
policy guidelines meet the specifications chase of electric cars. Five other financial as-
laid down in the UN’s Guiding Principles on sistance items (such as support for the film
Business and Human Rights. industry and funding for innovative port
Subsidies affect the national sustainabil- technology) focus on economic outcomes,
ity strategy’s targets and impacts in differ- particularly in terms of economic output,
ent ways and must therefore be assessed in innovation and provision for future eco-
a manner that takes these differences into nomic stability. The new assistance items for
account. Most financial assistance items and agricultural businesses, which were intro-
tax benefits are related directly or indirectly duced in response to market crises, aim pri-
to the national sustainability strategy’s ob- marily to ensure social sustainability. Three
jectives and management rules. However, newly introduced tax benefits place a prior-
subsidies also give rise to the increased con- ity on economic outcomes.
sumption of financial, material and/or nat- Subsidies that have already been in place
ural resources and, to this extent, can lead to for a longer period of time should, as part
conflicts with other objectives enshrined in of the evaluation process, be regularly re-
the strategy such as resource conservation, viewed in terms of their conformity with
climate protection and government debt re- the rules of the national sustainability strat-
duction. Such adverse impacts on other gov- egy. Thus sustainability impact assessments
ernment objectives and the resulting con- form part of the tax benefit evaluations that
flicts are one of the reasons why subsidies are currently being conducted. Other sub-
always require justification. sidies, especially those that target sectoral
Because they are geared towards (a) tar- support, are to be assessed mainly in an
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V. Summary
The federal budget has required no new Given the strong performance of the
borrowing since 2014. The fiscal space re- economy and solid rates of GDP growth, the
sulting from Germany’s successful consol- federal subsidy ratio remained constant at
idation policies is now being used to boost 0.7% in 2016 despite the introduction of new
targeted pro-growth investment in priority subsidies and an increase in funding for cer-
policy areas and to provide tax relief. This tain existing subsidies. This means that the
boosts Germany’s competitiveness, makes subsidy ratio has remained basically steady
our country more fit for the future, and re- at a low level in recent years. As federal tax
inforces consumer and business confidence revenue continues to trend upwards, federal
that the economy will continue to develop tax benefits will decline during the current
in a stable manner. reporting period to their lowest level rela-
Federal subsidies, in the form of financial tive to federal tax revenue since the mid-
assistance and tax benefits, are set to climb 1990s. An increase in financial assistance –
from €20.9 billion in 2015 to €25.2 billion as indicated by the target spending amounts
in 2018. This €4.3 billion growth is being for 2017 and 2018 – could cause the subsidy
driven primarily by an increase in financial ratio to rise slightly to 0.8% of GDP in both
assistance items targeted towards prior- of these years.
ity policy areas. A total of 11 new financial In line with the subsidy policy guide-
assistance items have been introduced. Fi- lines, all of the new financial assistance
nancial assistance items will increase by just items being introduced during the current
under €3.6 billion during the reporting pe- reporting period to promote priority meas-
riod, and the amounts budgeted for 2017 are ures targeting climate protection, broad-
€3.0 billion higher than the amount spent in band expansion, electric vehicles and digital
2016. Much of this increase is based on 2016 technology will be provided on a temporary
budget appropriations that boosted for- basis. Most of the individual measures take
ward-looking federal investment in broad- the form of adjustment assistance or pro-
band network expansion, energy-efficient ductivity assistance, with the aim of pro-
building refurbishment, and overall energy moting (a) productivity and growth or (b)
efficiency. The new financial assistance structural adjustment in sectors that hold
items include funding to optimise pump- particular significance for Germany’s eco-
ing and heating systems as well as subsidies nomic future.
for the purchase of electric cars. Federal tax It is important for subsidies to fulfil
benefits are projected to rise from €15.4 bil- their purposes in a manner that is both ef-
lion in 2015 to €16.1 billion in 2018. fective and cost-efficient. For this reason, it
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www.federal-ministry-of-finance.de