Overview
- Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) urges replacing the Ehegattensplitting with a family-based model and ending tax classes III and V to strengthen incentives for women to work.
- CSU floor leader Klaus Holetschek rejects any abolition, arguing it would raise taxes on families, with CDU state leader Gordon Schnieder in Rhineland-Palatinate also opposing new burdens on married couples.
- Senior SPD figures welcome Prien’s stance and say they would back reform or abolition, as deputy caucus leader Wiebke Esdar presses to set a timetable that puts changes on track by summer 2026.
- The Greens and the Sozialverband Deutschland add pressure for change, yet no draft legislation has been presented and details remain subject to coalition negotiations.
- Research cited in the debate finds the current splitting discourages second earners, with a Bertelsmann/DIW study estimating gains equal to roughly 175,000 additional full-time jobs among women 45+ and the OECD recommending abolition to boost female labor participation.