Search

Regina Laska criticized that Donald Trump had suspended the Russia sanctions that he himself signed in mid-September and which were supposed to come into effect automatically the next day. She wrote that tariffs of up to 100 percent on large consumers of Russian oil and gas, levies of up to 500 percent on Russian goods, and measures against the shadow fleet and banks were planned. Two days before the deadline, Trump resorted to an exception that allowed for a waiver in the national interest; according to Laska, he did not provide a justification. As a possible background, Laska mentioned a diesel deal announced by Trump with Vladimir Putin. The U.S. Treasury Department had granted a license to Russian energy producers for that until April; furthermore, a U.S. government representative said that easing penalties against the shadow fleet was being considered. Laska connected this with the upcoming U.S. elections in two and a half weeks and high fuel prices. However, Trump blamed Ukraine for the prices, claiming they had attacked Russian refineries, she wrote. According to Laska, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's representative for business with the U.S., was already talking about joint data centers and small nuclear power plants. Dmitriev reportedly said, "the ice is beginning to break." She also pointed out that Congress passed the sanctions by a large majority and that the law was named after Lindsey Graham, who had died in July. She wrote that seven Republican senators had urged Trump to reverse the diesel deal. Regarding Volodymyr Zelensky's reaction to the question in Brussels about whether Trump was making him a scapegoat, Laska wrote that he had remained silent for 15 seconds, grinned, and said, "That is my answer." Laska stated that she concurred with his reaction but refrained from grinning. #Trump #Ukraine #Sanktionen (translated)

The Minister of Economic Affairs, Reiche, advocates for a more targeted relief for low-income earners in the ARD Interview of the Week - and increases the pressure on the Ministry of Finance. Here, the direct payment mechanism that can be issued through the Federal Tax Office is the right lever. For the period following the "fuel discount," Reiche advocates for a more targeted approach: "Here, the direct payment mechanism that can be issued through the Federal Tax Office is the right lever." At the same time, Reiche brought up an amendment to EU law to allow for a reduction in the value-added tax on gasoline and diesel. #Tankrabatt #Direktzahlungen #Energiekrise (translated)

Economic Minister Katherina Reiche advocates for targeted direct payments to low-income earners as a relief measure after the end of the fuel discount and increases pressure on the Ministry of Finance, while she criticizes the economic consequences of the energy crisis and the ongoing shortages of oil products. #Tankrabatt #Direktzahlungen #Energiekrise (translated)

RobynHD stated that the holding period for crypto was a topic in the petition committee of the Bundestag. A petition to maintain it was supported by 44,439 people. According to RobynHD, Nicole Nowak and tax expert Ingo Heuel pointed out a contradiction: the planned reform could burden long-term savers more, while active traders could benefit tax-wise. According to RobynHD, the Ministry of Finance initially promised annual tax revenues of 160 million euros and about 350 million euros by 2035. Additional administrative costs were not taken into account. The data basis for the partially mentioned billions was criticized significantly. RobynHD noted that there was no convincing explanation for why the holding period for crypto should be abolished while it should remain for gold. Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance mentioned a possible extension to gold and other economic goods instead. The cabinet was to discuss the draft on October 14; nothing had been decided yet, RobynHD wrote. https://t.co/NCHOvHC2ih #Krypto #Steuern #Bundestag (translated)

The IMF demands the expulsion of the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ) from financial supervision, criticizes its political influence, and calls for a review of the involvement of the Ministry of Finance and the WKÖ in the supervisory board of the Financial Market Authority (FMA). #IWF #WKÖ #Finanzaufsicht (translated)

Regina Laska wrote that Donald Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and stated that both sides had agreed. According to her, Volodymyr Zelensky initially had no knowledge of this. Later, he said the report was new to him, but Ukraine was ready to cease attacks on Russian energy facilities, provided that Russia would no longer attack Ukrainian power plants. Laska wrote that there was no initial confirmation from the Kremlin, and Russian attacks continued. According to Ukrainian sources, among others, power plants in Kyiv and Kharkiv were hit. She also referred to Trump's earlier claim from September 14 that both sides had agreed to spare energy facilities; however, a sustainable ceasefire did not emerge from that. The author placed the announcement within a series of Trump's statements: on Friday, he announced a diesel deal with Putin and a US waiver for Russian diesel deliveries; on Saturday, he said Ukraine needed a new president; and on Sunday, he declared a ceasefire, to which this president allegedly agreed. Laska described this as contradictory since Zelensky had simultaneously been portrayed by Trump as a potential negotiating partner, even though he was unaware of the agreement. Furthermore, Laska wrote that seven US senators - four Republicans and three Democrats - legally challenged Trump's diesel deal with Putin. They accused the government of not involving Congress as required and demanded the withdrawal of the deal. While the US Treasury had issued a license, its sufficient legal basis was disputed. In a satirical scene, Laska imagined Trump reacting by putting down his phone, splattering a freshly painted wall while drinking, and possibly firing the painter afterward. #Trump #Ukraine #Russland (translated)

Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer is cold-shouldering the Neos and refers to joint government resolutions, while Beate Meinl-Reisinger refers to the newly introduced package tax as nonsense and calls for its abolition, yet without presenting any concrete alternatives. #Paketsteuer #Neos #Finanzministerium (translated)

Anna asked whether a diesel agreement between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could have been made before its announcement. She wrote that the tanker Minerva Zen left Saint Petersburg on September 22 – 17 days before Trump's announcement. The ship, sailing under the Greek flag, had an undisclosed destination since its departure and was supposed to reach the US East Coast on October 11 or 12, according to data from Windward and Vortexa, a week after the House of Representatives voted for the Graham sanctions law. The route is documented, but the cargo is not, Anna wrote. Shipping papers are not available; estimates range from 230,000 to 300,000 barrels of diesel. Shipping analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann could not say whether the ship had been redirected after Trump's announcement or whether an agreement had already existed before. Anna also pointed out that the US Treasury Department had issued General License No. 135 less than 24 hours before the report, allowing the import of Russian diesel until April 2027. She related the issuance on Thursday, a phone call on Friday, and the departure of the tanker on September 22, stating that the timing seemed unusual. While Kyiv had urged Congress to implement the Graham law, Washington could have already planned differently, according to her account. She cited Windward and Vortexa, quoted by Nasha Niva, as well as UkrMedia and NPR. #DieselDeal #Trump #Putin (translated)

Furkan Yildirim wrote that the US Treasury could auction fewer long-term government bonds as early as November and possibly discontinue the 20-year term altogether. According to Yildirim, Citigroup expects Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to announce a $3 billion reduction in auctions for 20- and 30-year bonds each on November 4. The financing gap is to be closed with government securities maturing within a year at the latest. The department may also ask large banks next week whether pension funds now prefer bonds from Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet to those of the state. The 20-year bond was reintroduced in 2020 after a 34-year hiatus and now offers nearly 5.7 percent interest, more than any other US maturity. At the end of 2020, its yield was just under 1.5 percent. At the same time, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, and SpaceX had already issued dollar bonds amounting to more than $180 billion in 2026; according to Yildirim, Amazon's bonds extend to 2076. According to asset manager TwentyFour, which Yildirim cited, Japanese investors are now receiving enough interest at home to invest their money there. Citi strategist Jason Williams wrote that pension funds may currently be more inclined than usual to invest in long-term corporate bonds of good quality. However, BNP Paribas strategists doubted that smaller auctions would reduce the government's financing costs. Yildirim also pointed out that the yield on 10-year US bonds serves as a basis for mortgages and many other loans, and Bessent had referred to it as an important measure of his success. With an annual deficit of nearly $2 trillion, the debt burden continues to grow as competition for long-term buyers increases. #Finanzen #Anleihen #Wirtschaft (translated)

Regina Laska wrote that Donald Trump promised hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel after a phone call with Vladimir Putin. The U.S. Treasury then allowed an exemption from the sanctions. Given the midterms in four weeks and a diesel price at record levels, Laska interpreted the move as a possible campaign maneuver. In mid-September, Trump publicly called on Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian refineries. According to a Reuters report led by Laska, at that time three of the six largest Russian diesel refineries were shut down or operating at limited capacity. She also pointed to a Russian export ban on diesel until the end of October and noted that Russia imported almost seven times as much diesel from Belarus from January to July as in the same period of the previous year. Deputy Prime Minister Novak is now talking about surpluses, she wrote; however, it is unclear whether the announced delivery quantities and deadlines will actually be met. Zelensky offered to stop Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries if Russia ends its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Laska referred to this as a symmetrical de-escalation offer that is on the table for the Americans. She also cited rocket attacks on a residential building in Pryluky, glide bombs on city buses in Kramatorsk, and shelling of the energy supply in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa. She warned that Russia would respond to the diesel with terrorism. The EU also criticized Laska: On September 22, Usmanov and Fridman were removed from the sanctions list under pressure from France, Slovakia, and Luxembourg. According to Laska, Zelensky pointed out that the attacks had since increased. At the same time, the EU extended the remaining personal sanctions from six months to three years. Latvia had long resisted the compromise and ultimately paved the way for it by abstaining. Laska compared Trump's diesel concession to Russia with the European compromise in favor of unanimity. In her view, the costs of such agreements are borne not by their authors but by the people in Pryluky, Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Oleshkiv. #Trump #Putin #Dieselpreise (translated)

Donald Trump announced an agreement for the delivery of hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel from Russia for the USA and the world market after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, for which the US Treasury Department granted a temporary permit. #Trump #Putin #Diesellieferungen (translated)

RobynHD criticized that the Bundestag had rejected two motions to abolish the tax-free Bitcoin holding period the day before. The Greens had called for cryptocurrency gains to be taxed at the personal income tax rate, regardless of the holding period. A total of 132 representatives voted in favor, while 445 voted against. A motion from the Left Party had also failed. This proposed, among other things, taxation akin to stocks, an exit tax, and a EU-wide trading ban for certain proof-of-work coins. The CDU/CSU, SPD, and AfD rejected the proposals. However, the vote does not mean that the abolition is off the table, RobynHD wrote. The SPD-led Ministry of Finance is working on a reform that is also supposed to end the one-year holding period. Bitcoin purchased from 2027 onwards should be taxed at a basic rate of 26.375 percent; existing holdings would be protected. The cabinet is expected to address the proposal on October 14. RobynHD acknowledged that other legislative proposals had been up for decision during the vote. Nonetheless, from the author's perspective, it is alarming that work continues on the abolition despite the clear rejection. The Union could still prevent the reform, but RobynHD has little hope. #Bitcoin #Krypto #Steuern (translated)

Specifically, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (48, SPD) is planning for the plastic tax (set to come into effect on July 1, 2027) with 788 employees at customs, 28 at the federal IT service provider ITZBund, and three in the Finance Ministry. #Steuerpolitik #Bürokratie #Zuckersteuer (translated)

Regina Laska wrote that the Russian Foreign Ministry warned against a stay in Kyiv on Saturday and announced further massive attacks. Just a few hours later, the train of Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived unexpectedly at the main train station in Kyiv, accompanied by Minister of Economy Katherina Reiche and representatives from the defense and energy industries. Laska called Merz's trip a bold and important sign in light of the situation. Russia has been attacking the Dnipro bridges connecting East and West Kyiv for days, wrote Laska. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian intelligence service has seen documents indicating that Vladimir Putin has issued a new doctrine foreseeing attacks on roads, logistics, schools, and hospitals to drive people out of Kyiv and other cities. The documents are not public, and Moscow has denied the allegations, she added. Laska wrote that people might flee from cities that are becoming increasingly uninhabitable in winter to Poland, the Czech Republic, or Germany. The provision for Ukrainian refugees has cost Germany around 32.4 billion euros since the start of the war, she cited an overview from the Ministry of Finance quoted by Spiegel. She criticized that these costs are being used in Germany as an argument against supporting Ukraine, including against arms deliveries. Merz wrote from Kyiv that Germany is helping out of self-interest because its own security depends on the outcome of the war, Laska stated. He announced one billion euros in military aid, 350 million euros for the energy system, thousands of interception drones, and closer German-Ukrainian defense cooperation. Officially, Taurus cruise missiles are still missing, she wrote. In October 2024, Merz said Germany must deliver Taurus to hit Russian supply routes if Putin does not end the bombardment of the Ukrainian civilian population within 24 hours. Although Moscow has since openly announced further massive attacks, Taurus still has not arrived, wrote Laska. #Ukraine #Russland #Politik (translated)