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Date: July 14, 2020 Methodological notes on the results

Income tax is one of the most important sources of public revenue. The data available to the fiscal authorities as part of the taxation procedure provide the basis for wage and income tax statistics. They take into account taxpayers who submitted an …

Press release No. N 072 of 20 December 2022 Christmas facts

Whether it' a Norway spruce or Nordmann fir – for many people Christmas is not complete without a real Christmas tree. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that Christmas trees were grown on an area of 20,100 hectares outside the forests …

Press release No. 513 of 5 December 2022 Donations in 2018: total amount donated up 0.9% on the previous year

In 2018, 11.4 million taxpayers in Germany stated donations of 6.8 billion euros in their tax returns. These were new all-time highs but the level of donations rose only slightly (+0.9%) compared with the previous year, according to the Federal …

Press release No. 362 of 29 August 2022 Trade tax revenue at record high in 2021

The municipalities in Germany received trade tax revenue amounting to roughly 61.1 billion euros in 2021. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that this is an increase of approximately 15.8 billion euros, or 34.9%, on the previous year. …

Date: August 29, 2022 Revenue from real property tax and trade tax and weighted average assessment rates since 1949

Tables on the subject: Revenue from real property tax and trade tax and weighted average assessment rates since 1949

Date: August 29, 2022 Real property tax and trade tax by municipality size class

Tables on the subject: Real property tax and trade tax, by municipality size class

Press release No. N 050 of 2 August 2022 13.7 million employees used the tax break for commuters in 2018

In the debate about providing relief for rising petrol prices, consideration is also being given to increasing the tax break for commuters. Based on tax declaration data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that roughly 13.7 million …

Press release No. 324 of 1 August 2022 Beer sales up 3.8% in the 1^st half of 2022 year on year

Beer sales increased by 3.8%, or 157.2 million litres, in the first six months of 2022 compared with the same period a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the breweries and beer warehouses in Germany sold roughly …

Press release No. 308 of 20 July 2022 Business assets received as a gift and taken as a basis for tax assessment more than doubled in 2021

In 2021, 26.7 billion euros of business assets were transferred by gift and taken as a basis for tax assessment. This was the first year-on-year increase since the inheritance tax reform in 2016. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports …

Press release No. 275 of 30 June 2022 More and more pensions are subject to income tax

A total of 21.9 million people in Germany received benefits to the amount of roughly 350 billion euros from statutory, private or company pension schemes in 2021. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that this was an increase of 0.6%, or …

Press release No. 267 of 27 June 2022 German multinational enterprise groups generated 360 billion euros worldwide

German enterprise groups operating multinationally generated worldwide earnings before taxes totalling 360 billion euros in 2018. This is shown by an evaluation of country-by-country reports of enterprise groups published by the Federal Statistical …

Press release No. 223 of 31 May 2022 26,300 income millionaires in Germany in 2018

In 2018, just under 26,300 of all people registered as wage or income tax payers in Germany had an income of at least one million euros. This was an increase of just over 1,500 income millionaires compared with 2017. The Federal Statistical Office …

Press release No. N 033 of 30 May 2022 Number of women dying of lung and bronchial cancer significantly higher than 20 years ago

Approximately 75,500 people died of smoking-specific illnesses in Germany in 2020. 46,100 of these cases were due to lung, bronchial, laryngeal or tracheal cancer and 29,400 to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To mark the World No …

Date: May 17, 2022 Cash tax revenue by type of tax after tax redistribution

Cash tax revenue by type of tax, after tax redistribution, EUR million, 2019 to 2021

Press release No. 166 of 13 April 2022 Revenue from aviation tax up 49.8% in 2021 on 2020

In 2021, a total of 526.4 million euros of aviation tax - also called “flight ticket tax” - was payable in Germany, according to the tax returns of airlines. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that revenue from this tax increased …

Press release No. 091 of 7 March 2022 Advance turnover tax returns 2020: decrease of 3.9% on 2019

Roughly 3 million enterprises in Germany submitted advance turnover tax returns with net turnover totalling 6.5 trillion euros in 2020. Supplies and services (turnover) decreased by 3.9% on 2019 according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). …

Press release No. 045 of 1 February 2022 Beer sales down also in the second year of the coronavirus crisis

In 2021, the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold roughly 8.5 billion litres of beer. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this was a decrease in beer sales of 2.2%, or 187.7 million litres, compared with …

Press release No. 019 of 14 January 2022 Sales of tobacco products, 2021: fewer cigarettes, markedly more pipe tobacco than a year earlier

In 2021, the quantity of cigarettes taxed in Germany was down by 2.8% on 2020. As regards the sales of pipe tobacco, however, the upward trend of the last few years continued. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the quantity of …

Press release No. 557 of 8 December 2021 Donations in 2017: taxpayers donated 5.9% more than a year earlier

In 2017, 11.1 million taxpayers in Germany stated donations of roughly 6.7 billion euros in their tax returns. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the level of donations rose by 5.9% compared with 2016. The actual number of …

Press release No. 469 of 6 October 2021 Trade tax revenue down 18.2% in 2020 year on year

In 2020, the municipalities in Germany received trade tax revenue of roughly 45.3 billion euros. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that this was a decline of roughly 10.1 billion euros, or 18.2%, on the previous year. The impact of …

Press release No. 403 of 25 August 2021 Inheritance and gift tax up 19.4% in 2020

The property transfers by inheritance or gift which the fiscal authorities in Germany assessed for tax purposes amounted to 84.4 billion euros in 2020. The property inherited or received as a gift and taken into account for tax purposes was up 5.9% …

Press release No. 384 of 13 August 2021 Company pension subsidies for low-income earners almost doubled in 2020

In 2020, Germany subsidised company old-age pension schemes with 175.5 million euros. The total volume of subsidies for company old-age pension schemes thus almost doubled compared with the preceding year (2019: 89.1 million euros). The Federal …

Press release No. 380 of 12 August 2021 Increasing number of pensioners paying income tax

A total of 21.8 million people in Germany received benefits to the amount of 341 billion euros from statutory, private or company pension schemes in 2020. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that this was an increase of roughly 0.7%, or …

Press release No. 364 of 30 July 2021 Beer sales down 2.7% in the 1st half of 2021 year on year

In the first six months of 2021, beer sales decreased by 2.7%, or 113.4 million litres, compared with the same period a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the breweries and beer warehouses in Germany sold …

Press release No. N 038 of 16 June 2021 Tax break for commuters: 88% of commuters go by car

Reducing the burden on long-distance drivers by tax breaks for commuters has frequently been a point in the debate about increasing petrol prices and the CO₂ charge. Based on data from the tax returns, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has …

Press release No. N 036 of 28 May 2021 18% more hospital cases due to smoking-specific illnesses in the last ten years

In 2019, a total 458,000 patients in Germany were treated in hospital for a smoking-specific illness, 57% of whom were men. To coincide with the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the number of such …

Press release No. 232 of 18 May 2021 24,700 income millionaires in Germany in 2017

In 2017, just under 24,700 of all people registered as wage or income tax payers in Germany had an income of at least one million euros. This was an increase of just under 1,900 taxpayers compared with 2016. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) …

Press release No. 193 of 16 April 2021 Revenue from aviation tax down 70.6% in 2020 due to the corona crisis

In 2020 a total of 349.8 million euros of aviation tax - also called “flight ticket tax” - was payable in Germany, according to the tax returns of airlines. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that revenue from this tax declined by …

Press release No. 148 of 25 March 2021 Continuing decline in alcohol consumption in the corona year 2020

Closed restaurants and bars, cancelled events, cross-border traffic limitations: the measures taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic led to a decline in the per capita alcohol consumption in Germany in 2020. The Federal Statistical Office …

Press release No. 087 of 25 February 2021 Revenue from joint taxes down 8% in January month on month

The seasonally and calendar adjusted cash revenue from joint taxes in Germany dropped 8.2% in January 2021 compared with December 2020. These tax receipts are distributed among the Federation, Länder and municipalities. They include turnover and …

Press release No. 046 of 1 February 2021 Beer sales markedly down during the coronavirus crisis

In 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold roughly 8.7 billion hectolitres of beer. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this was a decrease in beer sales of …

Press release No. N 003 of 18 January 2021 Sales of fine cut and pipe tobacco markedly up during the coronavirus crisis

In the corona year of 2020, sales of cigarettes in Germany were down 1.1%, while sales of pipe and fine cut tobacco increased substantially compared with 2019. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the quantity of pipe tobacco taxed …

Date: December 15, 2020 Seasonal adjustment of the monthly cash tax revenue

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Statistical Office published the new calendar and seasonally adjusted monthly cash tax revenue for the first time in August 2020. They are important indicators for fiscal policy and short-term …

Press release No. 508 of 15 December 2020 Average taxable share of pensions rose to 62.1% in 2019

21.6 million people in Germany received benefits to the amount of 328 billion euros from statutory, private or company pension schemes in 2019. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this was an increase of 16.3 billion euros, or …

Press release No. 485 of 8 December 2020 Donations, 2016: taxpayers donated 3.8% more than a year earlier

In 2016, 10.8 million taxpayers in Germany declared donations of approximately 6.4 billion euros on their tax returns. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that this was an increase of 3.8% on 2015. The actual number of donors was …

Press release No. 483 of 14 October 2020 Childcare: parents pay an average of 1,310 euros per year

Childcare is far from being available free of charge everywhere in Germany. This is why childcare is also a question of costs to many parents. Based on a new special evaluation of data from the wage and income tax statistics, the Federal Statistical …

Press release No. N 050 of 28 August 2020 Revenue from joint taxes down 3% in July 2020 on February 2020

Due to the consequences of the corona pandemic, cash revenue from joint taxes in Germany was down by 3% in July after calendar and seasonal adjustment compared with the pre-crisis month of February this year. These tax receipts are distributed among …

Press release No. 309 of 14 August 2020 Subsidy for company pension schemes up 33% in 2019

The volume of the subsidy for employee pension schemes rose by 33% to 89 million euros in 2019 on a year earlier. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), nearly 67,400 employers in Germany used this government subsidy in the second …

Press release No. N 047 of 10 August 2020 Private schools: parents pay an average of 2,000 euros per year and place

Schools in Germany, including private schools, are to return to ‘normal service’ after the summer holidays. During school closures owing to the coronavirus pandemic, parents of pupils at private schools had to continue to pay school fees in most …

Press release No. 285 of 30 July 2020 Beer sales down 6.6% in the 1^st half of 2020 year on year

In the first six months of 2020, beer sales decreased by 6.6%, or 302.5 million litres, compared with the same period a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the breweries and beer warehouses in Germany sold …

Press release No. 260 of 13 July 2020 Government subsidies on company pensions paid for the first time in 2018 for 680,000 low-income earners

With the Act to Strengthen Occupational Pensions, various measures to support employee pension schemes entered into force on 1 January 2018. Among other things, a government subsidy on company pensions was introduced for low-income earners. In 2018, …

Press release No. N 030 of 22 June 2020 Concerts, theatre and opera performances: turnover of 8.8 billion euros in 2018

To halt the spread of coronavirus, especially large events are banned at the moment. Events with large audiences like festivals, and cinema or theatre performances involve a wide range of economic activities in planning and conducting the events, and …

Press release No. 185 of 27 May 2020 22,900 income millionaires in Germany in 2016

In 2016, nearly 22,900 of all persons registered as wage or income tax payers in Germany had an income of at least one million euros, which was an increase of just under 1,700 taxpayers compared with 2015. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) …

Press release No. N 020 of 27 April 2020 Aviation tax in March 2020: decline by 56.7% from a year earlier

The demand for flights has dropped significantly because of the global travel restrictions in response to the corona crisis. This is beginning to have some effect on tax revenue from aviation tax. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports …

Press release No. N 013 of 23 March 2020 4 million people were self-employed in 2018

Slumps in turnover during an economic crisis situation such as the coronavirus pandemic can hit self-employed particularly hard as they bear the full entrepreneurial risk in their business activity. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports …

Press release No. 032 of 30 January 2020 Sales of beer down 1.9% in 2019

As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold 9.2 billion litres of beer in 2019. That was a decrease of 1.9% from the previous year.

Press release No. 016 of 15 January 2020 Sales of tobacco products in 2019: cigarette tax revenue up 0.3% on a year earlier

In 2019, cigarette tax revenue in Germany increased by 0.3% compared with 2018. While sales of cigarettes increased only slightly, the strong upward trend in sales of pipe tobacco continued. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that …

Press release No. N 015 of 16 December 2019 Taxpayers donated 5.6 billion euros in 2015

In 2015, 10.3 million taxpayers in Germany stated donations totalling 5.6 billion euros in their tax returns. The actual number of donors was probably even higher as jointly assessed married couples and couples in a registered partnership are counted …

Press release No. 423 of 31 October 2019 Sales of beer down 2.0% in the first nine months of 2019

As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold 7.1 billion litres of beer in the first nine months of 2019. That was a decrease of 2.0% from the corresponding period of the …

Press release No. 404 of 16 October 2019 Tax paid on more cigarettes in the third quarter of 2019

As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the quantity of cigarettes on which tax was paid in Germany increased by 2.2% in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The total value of tobacco products in …