It’s one of the fundamental questions of our democracy: How is money raised for our public services and how is it distributed? In late May, this issue wasn’t debated by financial experts, but by 40 randomly selected citizens from across Germany. The participants in the public debate »Fair Taxes and Finances« range in age from 16 to 78. In their everyday lives, they are nursery teachers, electricians, civil servants, teachers, students, or retired police officers. Over the course of two weekends – six days in total – they are now taking a deep dive into Germany’s tax and financial policy.

At the opening of the public debate in Erfurt, the focus was on helping participants understand the federal budget. What are the state’s sources of income? Where does the money go? Who pays how much – and for what? Several researchers and experts, including from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW), gave presentations and answered detailed questions. In small groups, participants discussed, calculated, and even built budgets – using LEGO bricks and foam blocks to make the federal budget more tangible. »This public debate is democracy in action: people who normally have little to do with financial policy are taking responsibility – and treating one another with great respect«, said Claudine Nierth, spokesperson for the board of Mehr Demokratie e.V.

The public debate is part of a three-stage participation process. The first stage was a broad online consultation in March and April. That was followed by the in-depth, in-person engagement with tax and financial issues. The online consultation had already seen a strong response: around 18,000 people from across Germany submitted approximately 2,000 suggestions for improving tax and financial policy. These suggestions formed the basis for the main topics of the first in-person public debate: large fortunes, social security, public spending, and large-scale tax fraud (e.g. Cum-Ex transactions).