Public funds
Taxpayers’ Association: Too much money is wasted on bureaucracy
Updated on October 9, 2024 – 4:12 p.mReading time: 3 min.
Where are public resources wasted in Germany? From the Taxpayers’ Association’s perspective, there are dozens of examples. The focus of his new “Black Book” is a topic that affects many people.
Despite tight budgets, the state continues to waste millions of euros in tax money, according to the Taxpayers’ Association. The association in Berlin criticized that excessive bureaucracy also causes high costs. “Year after year, billions of euros of tax money seep away through the rampant bureaucracy, often with only questionable benefits or even real economic damage,” says the “Black Book 2024/25”. With 100 examples from municipalities as well as the state and federal levels, the association highlights for the 52nd time where, in its opinion, public money is being wasted.
“We have to realize again and again that common sense is often replaced by bureaucratic rules,” complained club president Reiner Holznagel at the presentation of the book. As an example, he cited a zebra crossing in Eberbach in Baden-Württemberg, which had to be removed after 13 years. At a traffic show last year, it emerged that the crossing was too close to a bus stop without a lay-by – and therefore posed a risk according to the guidelines. Because the bus has to stop on the road to get on and off. Drivers have less visibility of the zebra crossing. But no one noticed it in all these years.
“Those responsible at the time probably assumed that all applicable technical regulations were adhered to by the specialist planner commissioned,” the city told the taxpayers’ association. “After the error was noticed, the city of Eberbach had no other option than to remove the pedestrian crossing, otherwise it would have violated applicable regulations,” explained the city administration in response to a request from the German Press Agency.
As a further example, Holznagel cited a case from Biedenkopf in central Hesse: “There, a diving tower in an outdoor swimming pool is torn down after 30 years, because the pool underneath is five centimeters too shallow.” However, no accidents have occurred for decades, complains the taxpayers’ association.
In order to reduce bureaucracy, Holznagel called on politicians: “Have more courage to delete nonsense, change or rethink structures.” He told the dpa that the “one-in-one-out” rule that has been in effect since 2015 is not enough. This stipulates that for every burden on the economy introduced by law, at least an equal amount of relief must be brought about by the end of the legislative period at the latest.
The Taxpayers’ Association is calling for a tightening: a “one-in-two-out” rule. “That means whoever creates a new bureaucratic regulation has to abolish two others so that it finally becomes less and people have more freedom,” explained Holznagel.
The President of the Taxpayers’ Association also believes that consistent digitalization of administration, fewer duplicate structures, more transparency in administrative processes and closer cooperation between administrative levels are necessary.
In the category “Really bizarre!” The Taxpayers’ Association lists, among other things, tunnels for toads in Hamburg-Blankenese. According to its own information, the Altona district office has created a 465 meter amphibious guidance system with four tunnels along the Falkensteiner Ufer and Falkensteiner Weg for 465,848 euros. From the perspective of the taxpayers’ association, this is a dubious investment in several respects.
On the one hand, the facility is located on a bicycle street that only very few residents use by car. “The question arises here as to whether signs would have been sufficient,” explained the Taxpayers’ Association. And on the other hand, it is not at all clear whether traffic is responsible for the observed decline in the toad population. There are no figures for this yet.
Upon request, the Altona district office referred, among other things, to measures to monitor the success of the project. The extent to which the toad tunnels are used is documented by cameras. The Nabu nature conservation association took over this. An evaluation of the camera data is still pending.
The Black Book also draws attention to an old post bridge near Lorsch in southern Hesse. The listed building has been closed since 2016 due to damage and was renovated for more than 300,000 euros. The taxpayers’ association explained that citizens could now walk on the bridge again. “But at the end of the bridge in the direction of Weschnitz Island you can’t go any further – a meter-high fence was built there.”