Research, background pieces and signed opinion. Before every headline it says what you are reading: background or opinion.
32 reports
BACKGROUNDFACT PAPER
Manufacturers have cut the sugar per litre without a tax. Pure juices contain about as much sugar as cola and are to remain untaxed. And the drinks sector has nevertheless bought slightly more sugar of late.
Basis: research by the editorial team in official statistics ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
Germany has switched off its nuclear power stations and is leaving coal behind by 2038. In the EU only Irish households pay more for electricity. Worldwide 78 reactors are under construction, and China and India are building coal-fired power stations with over 200 gigawatts. A commentary with the figures.
Andreas W. Herb ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
The coalition is planning a tax on plastic packaging: 550 euros per tonne, just under 1.5 billion euros a year, 819 additional posts. If passed on in full, that is around 36 euros per household per year.
Andreas W. Herb ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
860 million euros for the refurbishment of the official residence, 205 million for the temporary building, and on the arithmetic around 18,400 euros per metre of fence including cameras. What the figures mean, what they do not mean, and what the federal government has to disclose.
Andreas W. Herb ·
OPINIONDISCUSSION PAPER
Since 2019 one in six jobs in the German car industry has disappeared. Counting the knock-on jobs in retail, the trades and hospitality, up to 500,000 jobs and around 21 billion euros of purchasing power a year are at stake.
Andreas W. Herb ·
BACKGROUNDCHRONOLOGY
In 2019 Lars Klingbeil said in an ARD documentary that he had been “in der Antifa mit aktiv” – actively involved in the Antifa. A chronology of his statements with sources and context, and a look at what of it is documented.
Basis: research by the editorial team in the original sources ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
In 2019 Lars Klingbeil said he had been “in der Antifa mit aktiv”, actively involved in the Antifa. His later explanations do not answer with whom. Three questions a vice-chancellor could answer in ten seconds.
Andreas W. Herb ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
For the planned sugar tax the federal government is creating 223 new posts. A business owner does the arithmetic on what the inspections alone will cost customs and companies: up to 14 million euros a year.
Andreas W. Herb ·
OPINIONCOMMENTARY
The national CO₂ price has risen by up to 160 per cent since 2021. A business owner does the arithmetic on a lorry load from Munich to Hamburg to show what that costs: almost ten times as much in CO₂-related costs as in 2021.
Andreas W. Herb ·
BACKGROUNDOVERVIEW
Anyone wanting to talk about potential savings first needs the orders of magnitude. An overview of the state’s large spending blocks, every figure with its year, its basis and its source.
Basis: research by the editorial team in official statistics and budget documents ·
OPINIONESSAY
A steering tax is supposed to bring about less sugar consumption and at the same time bring in more money every year. A business owner does the arithmetic on what the planned sugar tax costs customs and companies.
Andreas W. Herb ·
BACKGROUND
Anyone talking about the cost of Bürgergeld first has to clarify what is being counted. The calculation presented here makes the items visible – and shows why not every figure can be added up into a single total.
Basis: research report provided to us ·