BERLIN: Senior Social Democrat Andrea Nahles said her party wanted to press for a higher top rate of tax for individuals and non-listed companies and ensure the wealthy pay more during talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives on forming a new government. “We need to consider how we can more strongly involve top earners in financing government tasks, namely via a higher top rate of tax and a tax for rich people,” she told Der Spiegel, adding that the Social Democrats (SPD) also wanted to abolish withholding tax.
Merkel’s conservatives and the SPD are due to start exploratory talks in January and are aiming to decide by mid-January whether to start full-blown coalition talks.
