The deficit is down to less than 2% this year, but they want to reduce the debt instead:
In a sign of Germans’ financial priorities, just half of voters favour tax cuts right now and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble – a noted tax cut sceptic – has rocketed to become the most popular politician in the country.
Some 57 percent of voters polled by Infratest Dimap for broadcaster ARD and daily Die Welt thought Schäuble was doing a good or very good job.
Two thirds of voters believe Germany’s economic situation is either good or very good, yet nearly three quarters say they have not personally profited from the upswing.
Voters are neatly divided on tax cuts. Asked whether taxes should be cut from January 1, 2013 as the ruling coalition leadership recently announced it intended to do, 48 agreed with the move and 49 percent were against it.
Yet a strong majority wants to reduce the nation’s debt, Die Welt reported. Some 70 percent believed it was more important to reduce the amount of new debt the government was taking on, while 24 percent said tax cuts were a greater priority.Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière was the second most popular politician on 56 percent approval followed by the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) Peer Steinbrück on 54 percent and the party’s parliamentary leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 51 percent. Chancellor Angela Merkel sits in fifth place on 49 percent.
The poll also showed that both Steinbrück and Steinmeier would win in head-to-head in direct elections against Merkel.
http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20110708-36155.html
