Merz's cabinet signed off on a €10 billion ($11.6 billion) tax plan that coalition leaders negotiated in July. According to the government, a standard two-child, middle-income household would see annual savings exceeding €600 on average.
To fund that relief, the plan raises taxes on top earners, a shift conservatives had long opposed. Earnings of €250,000 or above would face a 45% rate, rising to 47% once income hits €280,000.
The infighting flared back up on Tuesday, when the Economy Ministry circulated a letter saying the bill doesn't sufficiently address "bracket creep" and that the extra load on high earners would drag on growth. The ministry had still signed off on the draft. The note came from the ministry led by Katherina Reiche, who is a member of Merz's Christian Democrats.
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, a Social Democrat who is also SPD co-leader and vice chancellor, pushed back. "I have made clear that I do not believe in having an opposition within the government," he said to reporters on Wednesday in Greenville, South Carolina, while traveling to Germany following a Group of 20 meeting.
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This dust-up previews how bumpy the road could be for Merz's broader agenda to revamp pensions, strengthen the labor market, and use tax relief to jump-start growth. He is also getting pushback inside his own party over a plan to scrap an early-retirement option.
If you are eyeing a little more room in the monthly budget, watch how this turns into law. The package points to more than €600 a year for a typical family of four, but the fight over who shoulders the bill signals what might change in parliament and how quickly any relief shows up in paychecks.