Weekly political overview
Germany will introduce border controls with all its neighboring countries from September 16th for six months.
Only half of 13 to 17-year-olds have a job in their free time. To increase this percentage, a majority agreement has been reached in Parliament. What are the agreed measures?
- Remove the 8% labor market contribution tax on income so that teenagers can keep more of the money earned.
- The municipal youth service will advise young people about free-time jobs.
- Those age15 and older will be allowed to work until 23:00 (it was previously 20:00).
- Compulsory education will end in June instead of July, so that more young people can get a summer job.
Updates from political parties:
- Alternativet (Green Party) wants to create a state-financed savings account worth 100,000 DKK for everyone over 25 years old. 5,000 DKK would then be added every year after turning 25. The money could be used for unpaid vacation days.
Focus
Check out your municipality’s website. The 2025 budget agreement has been approved in the majority of municipalities. For some municipalities it will be an exciting read about future investments, while for others it will be grim, as the main focus will be about cuts to public spending.
- For example, in Copenhagen, there will be an income tax cut of 0.1% (the third cut in the last couple of years); parking will get more expensive as the red zone expands and free Sunday parking will be canceled; 156 million DKK will be invested in improving schools.
- On the island-municipality of Fanø, where 3,500 people reside, funding worth 20 million DKK must be found, which means closing schools, fewer bus routes, and worse service in elderly homes. A long-term solution is needed, as the municipality will most likely go bankrupt in the near future.
