The 2027 federal budget proposal, with its estimated revenues and expenditures, is alarming. With projected expenditures of around €555 billion ($634 billion), Germany will have to take on approximately €200 billion in new debt next year.
No wonder the federal government is thinking hard about ways to boost revenue. It quickly zoomed in on the billions the government loses each year due to financial crimes. While there are no official figures, experts estimate the loss at between €100 and €200 billion per year.
Even if only a small portion of that could be recovered through more effective auditing and stiffer penalties, it would still be a big help to Germany's federal government, federal states and municipalities, whose budgets are funded almost exclusively by tax revenue.
Money laundering, oligarchs, terrorists: How corrupt are the banks?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Police, tax investigators and customs authorities to work together
