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Economy
In reply to the discussion: Weekend Economists Revelations and Reviews April 26-28, 2013 [View all]xchrom
(108,903 posts)38. Germany's Greens lurch left in bid to beat Merkel
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/04/28/uk-germany-greens-idUKBRE93R04420130428
(Reuters) - Germany's Greens lurched to the left at a party congress in Berlin over the weekend by endorsing a "soak-the-rich" campaign for new taxes, a risky attempt to win power in September's election that upset the party's pragmatist wing.
Ignoring warnings against raising too many taxes at once from their most successful leader, Greens state premier Winfried Kretschmann, the 800 delegates voted to push to raise the top income tax rate to 49 percent from 42 percent and introduce an annual 1.5 percent wealth tax on assets above a million euros.
Greens delegates even booed one of their most respected leaders, Tuebingen mayor Boris Palmer, when he said the tax increases weren't balanced - a humiliating slap in the face for the "realo" or pragmatic wing that has long ruled the roost.
The Greens' shift at the congress that ended on Sunday seemed calculated to woo left-leaning voters and raise the party's chances of returning to power after September's election to end its eight-year stretch in opposition.
(Reuters) - Germany's Greens lurched to the left at a party congress in Berlin over the weekend by endorsing a "soak-the-rich" campaign for new taxes, a risky attempt to win power in September's election that upset the party's pragmatist wing.
Ignoring warnings against raising too many taxes at once from their most successful leader, Greens state premier Winfried Kretschmann, the 800 delegates voted to push to raise the top income tax rate to 49 percent from 42 percent and introduce an annual 1.5 percent wealth tax on assets above a million euros.
Greens delegates even booed one of their most respected leaders, Tuebingen mayor Boris Palmer, when he said the tax increases weren't balanced - a humiliating slap in the face for the "realo" or pragmatic wing that has long ruled the roost.
The Greens' shift at the congress that ended on Sunday seemed calculated to woo left-leaning voters and raise the party's chances of returning to power after September's election to end its eight-year stretch in opposition.
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I see someone noticed that we noticed they were not posting bank failures, well done.
kickysnana
Apr 2013
#17
Our new Chair of the Florida Democratic Party was a lobbyist for ChoicePoint in 2000.
Fuddnik
Apr 2013
#31
Also ex-mployees who have survived the worst will not do anything to keep their jobs.
kickysnana
Apr 2013
#18