23/08/2005 9:44:32 am
Hope For Germany. Angela Merkel will have Paul Kirchhof as finance minister if the opposition wins in Germany in September. And despite gains from the SPD recently, Merkel seem sure to win - the CDU is still 14 points ahead. Paul Kirchhof is a university professor and a judge from the constitutional court. As the Wall Street Journal Europe points out, he has spent many years fighting high and complicated taxes. And that is needed in a country with more than 100 tax laws and 90 000 tax rules. Not to mention that the taxes are fairly high and progressive. It is just two years since Mr Kirchhof proposed a flat tax for Germany, with 25 % in tax for both people and companies. The election program of the opposition is not at all that radical, but policies will naturally be shaped by the leading politicians after the election. He knows what would be good to do and will have a strong authority in saying so. There is hope for Germany to come back.