German parties seal "grand coalition"

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's main political parties sealed an agreement on Friday to create a coalition government of traditional rivals under the leadership of conservative Angela Merkel.

Now we find out what the Grand Coalition means. It means the increase in taxes promised by the conservative PLUS the increase in taxes promised by the socialists. In other words, the parties of the left and of the right combined to get what they want, at the expense of the taxpayer. The VAT will now be 19 percent, and the top income tax will now be 45 percent. The tax increases are opposed by 63 percent of the people, and so are only possible by a Grand Coalition of the political parties. I should hope that the Free Democrats will enjoy a tremendous increase in support; and, the decision of the Civil Platform (neo-liberal) Party in Poland to steer clear of a conservative-led government in that country all of a sudden looks very smart.

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