The nexus Institute is conducting the “Citizens’ Council for Tax Justice” project on behalf of a civil society alliance of Mehr Demokratie e.V., Bund der Steuerzahler e.V. and Netzwerk Steuergerechtigkeit.
A recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation shows that the majority of Germans feel that conditions in society are unjust. Our tax system also appears to contribute to this perception of injustice.
How do citizens view the issue of taxes? What would they want to change? To date, important tax policy issues have been discussed almost exclusively by experts from politics, business and administration. In the general public, however, this issue is often reduced to the demand for “more net from gross”. An informed public opinion on strategies to make the tax system fairer hardly ever takes place. This results in neither arguments nor ideas that lend tangible weight to the voice of taxpayers.
The aim of this project is to start right here and initiate sustainable change. As part of the Citizens’ Council, randomly selected citizens will discuss with each other how taxes can be levied more fairly. The random selection of people is important so that the existing diversity of perspectives and interests from the population as a whole can flow into this discourse.
The results of the citizens’ debate should be made public in order to inform and initiate further debates. To this end, the results will be incorporated into a television debate in which the participants will play an active role.
[1] Baarck et al. (2022): Gerechtigkeitsempfinden in Deutschland. Bertelsmann Report.
Duration: 01/2025 – 07/2025
Client: Mehr Demokratie e.V., Bund der Steuerzahler, Netzwerk Steuergerechtigkeit
Team: Dr. Christine von Blanckenburg (Project manager), Isabel Förster, Balduin Weinmann
Projektpartner: Demokratie Innovation e.V. / Es geht LOS
Picture: RomanR – stock.adobe.com