BERLIN – The government of Germany has announced a tax rebate for foreign professionals as the country tries to attract more and more professionals from abroad.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently confirmed that the government was creating a tax rebate for foreign professionals during their first three years in Germany.
‘There will be rebates of 30%, 20%, and 10% for those people who come here as qualified specialists,’ said the minister who belongs to the ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Meanwhile, German Economics Minister, Robert Habeck has justified the tax rebate by quoting examples of other countries including Austria and the Netherlands.
“If more skilled workers come to Germany because they want to work here or because they take advantage of these benefits, then we all win,” he said amid criticism from the opposition parties.
Although the tax rebate is being welcomed by pro-immigration supporters, the proposal has not been widely hailed by all.
For instance, those who are on the other end of the aisle argue that the proposal discriminates against local Germans who are also part of the economy.
In this regard, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union’s economic policy spokesperson Julia Kockner contended that the proposal amounted to discrimination against the country’s residents.
Moreover, German Trade Union Confederation Yasmin Fahimi has also branded the idea as “socially explosive”.
It is to be highlighted that the government of Germany is easing visa restrictions for foreign workers as the labor crisis in one of Europe’s strongest economies has worsened; the country needs at least 4 hundred thousand immigrants each year to keep its firms running and maintain exports.
The shortage of skilled individuals has risen to unprecedented levels as statistics and surveys reveal. The German companies have also admitted that they are facing the heat of labor shortage which is also affecting their efficiency.
In the same spirit, the government of Germany has recently introduced the opportunity card or Chancenkarte which allows foreign workers to arrive in Germany even without a job offer and search for employment.
