BERLIN (Sputnik) – Monika Schnitzer, the chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts advising the country’s government, on Saturday proposed increasing income tax across Germany to ensure greater military support of Ukraine due to the paucity of new commitments by the United States.
“Special events require special measures. A possible response to this challenge could be a Ukraine solidarity surcharge to the income tax for military aid,” Schnitzer said in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper.
German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said earlier this week that Berlin should be prepared to take on more responsibility and increase spending in light of weakening Western support for Ukraine.
On December 13, Germany’s cabinet of ministers decided to allocate 8 billion euros ($8.6 billion) as part of the 2024 budget to fund Ukraine’s war effort and billions in assistance for Ukrainian refugees.
Western countries have been providing military aid to Kiev since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian strikes.
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