Germany inheritance tax debate intensifies on ZDF

During a ZDF political talk show, participants debated the impact of inheritance tax on the German economy and social equality. The discussion featured a clash between Kevin Kühnert, tax department head at Finanzwende e. V., and a coalition of economist Bernd Raffelhüschen and entrepreneur Andrea Thoma-Böck.

Thoma-Böck, president of the ‘Initiative Zukunft Wirtschaft’, argued for tax-free inheritance to protect the German business location. She noted that assets have already been taxed and warned that increased taxation could exacerbate succession problems and drive businesses to relocate.

Conversely, Kühnert criticized what he described as a ‘special right’ for individuals receiving massive corporate inheritances without prior contribution. He argued that addressing inheritance tax is necessary to prevent increasing societal division across generations.