No, Germany is not imposing a ‘solidarity tax' to fund Ukraine, Israel
Euroverify detected several examples of the claim, first spotted by fact-checkers at Correctiv, being amplified in AI-generated videos in recent weeks.
While some of the accounts spreading the allegation present themselves as 'satirical', others relay the disinformation without any disclaimer, sowing confusion among TikTok users.
Our team also detected similar false narratives initially being labelled as satire but eventually being amplified across the platform. These included unfounded claims that the German government would ban cash payments in supermarkets, conduct home visits to monitor workers' sick leave and cut pensions to fund EU arms procurement programmes.
Merz's coalition government – composed of his centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) – was installed in May, almost three months after parliamentary elections.
A study found in the run-up to that vote that German users of TikTok, the social media platform owned by Chinese company Bytedance, are more likely to be climate sceptics, less critical of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and believe that the Chinese political system is better than democracy.
No evidence Germany will raise taxes to fund countries at war
The Merz-led government, whilst seen as a firm ally of both Ukraine and Israel, has no plans to raise the so-called 'solidarity tax' to finance those countries as TikTok users claim.
Some of those users have alleged the government will 'automatically deduct money from wages' as of 1 August, 'without prior approval, directly through payroll".
'The withheld money is automatically transferred abroad at the end of the month to strengthen political partnerships and finance local aid,' the TikTok videos detected by Euroverify falsely say, adding that the surcharge could 'increase significantly' in the coming months.
A federal government spokesperson confirmed to Correctiv that such claims were not true and lacked 'any basis".
The disinformation plays on the concept of solidarity surcharge, or Solidaritätszuschlag, which was introduced in Germany to fund the costs of German unification.
It stands at 5.5% and is raised as an additional fee on income tax, capital gains tax and corporate tax. Around 10% of the highest earners, as well as businesses and investors, pay the surcharge today, meaning most of the German population is exempt.
Satire sparks disinformation
Euroverify detected a raft of similar videos on TikTok – bearing the same style and techniques – which spread other false claims about the Merz-led government's policies.
These included allegations that from 1 January 2026, German supermarkets will only accept card payments and that cash will be rejected. There is no truth to these claims.
Others claimed Merz would introduce 'home visits' to 'monitor' people on sick leave from work.
While there are reports of an increasing number of private companies based in Germany requesting that agencies check up on employees suspected of calling in sick while fit to work, there is no evidence that the German government is looking to introduce such visits.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
The new 'Tiger economy': Vietnam's 2045 get rich quick plan
Beneath red banners and a gold bust of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi's central party school, Communist Party chief To Lam declared the arrival of 'a new era of development' late last year. The speech was more than symbolic—it signalled the launch of what could be Vietnam's most ambitious economic overhaul in decades. Vietnam aims to get rich by 2045 and become Asia's next 'tiger economy'—a term used to describe the earlier ascent of countries like South Korea and Taiwan. The challenge ahead is steep: Reconciling growth with overdue reforms, an ageing population, climate risks and outdated institutions. There's added pressure from President Donald Trump over Vietnam's trade surplus with the US, a reflection of its astounding economic trajectory. In 1990, the average Vietnamese could afford about $1,200 (€1,025) worth of goods and services a year, adjusted for local prices. Today, that figure has risen by more than 13 times to $16,385 (€13,995). Vietnam's transformation into a global manufacturing hub with shiny new highways, high-rise skylines and a booming middle class has lifted millions of its people from poverty, similar to China. But its low-cost, export-led boom is slowing and it faces a growing obstacle to its proposed reforms—expanding private industries, strengthening social protections and investing in technology and green energy—from climate change. 'It's all hands on deck. . . . We can't waste time anymore," said Mimi Vu of the consultancy Raise Partners. The export boom can't carry Vietnam forever Investment has soared, driven partly by US-China trade tensions, and the US is now Vietnam's biggest export market. Once-quiet suburbs have been replaced with industrial parks where trucks rumble through sprawling logistics hubs that serve global brands. Vietnam ran a $123.5 billion (€105bn) trade surplus with the US trade in 2024, angering Trump, who threatened a 46% US import tax on Vietnamese goods. The two sides appear to have settled on a 20% levy, and twice that for goods suspected of being transshipped, or routed through Vietnam to avoid US trade restrictions. During negotiations with the Trump administration, Vietnam's focus was on its tariffs compared to those of its neighbours and competitors, said Daniel Kritenbrink, a former US ambassador to Vietnam. 'As long as they're in the same zone, in the same ballpark, I think Vietnam can live with that outcome," he said. But he added that questions remain over how much Chinese content in those exports might be too much and how such goods will be taxed. Vietnam was preparing to shift its economic policies even before Trump's tariffs threatened its model of churning out low-cost exports for the world, aware of what economists call the 'middle-income trap,' when economies tend to plateau without major reforms. To move beyond that, South Korea bet on electronics, Taiwan on semiconductors, and Singapore on finance, said Richard McClellan, founder of the consultancy RMAC Advisory. But Vietnam's economy today is more diverse and complex than those countries were at the time and it can't rely on just one winning sector to drive long-term growth and stay competitive as wages rise and cheap labour is no longer its main advantage. It needs to make 'multiple big bets,' McClellan said. Vietnam's game plan Following China's lead, Vietnam is counting on high-tech sectors like computer chips, artificial intelligence and renewable energy, providing strategic tax breaks and research support in cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. It's also investing heavily in infrastructure, including civilian nuclear plants and a $67 billion (€57bn) North–South high-speed railway, that will cut travel time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to eight hours. Vietnam also aspires to become a global financial center. The government plans two special financial centres in bustling Ho Chi Minh City and in the seaside resort city of Danang, with simplified rules to attract foreign investors, tax breaks, support for financial tech startups, and easier ways to settle business disputes. Underpinning all of this is institutional reform. Ministries are being merged, low-level bureaucracies have been eliminated and Vietnam's 63 provinces will be consolidated into 34 to build regional centres with deeper talent pools. Private business to take the lead Vietnam is counting on private businesses to lead its new economic push—a seismic shift from the past. In May, the Communist Party passed Resolution 68. It calls private businesses the 'most important force' in the economy, pledging to break away from domination by state-owned and foreign companies. So far, large multinationals have powered Vietnam's exports, using imported materials and parts and low cost local labour. Local companies are stuck at the low-end of supply chains, struggling to access loans and markets that favoured the 700-odd state-owned giants, from colonial-era beer factories with arched windows to unfashionable state-run shops that few customers bother to enter. 'The private sector remains heavily constrained," said Nguyen Khac Giang of Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. Again emulating China, Vietnam wants 'national champions' to drive innovation and compete globally, not by picking winners, but by letting markets decide. The policy includes easier loans for companies investing in new technology, priority in government contracts for those meeting innovation goals, and help for firms looking to expand overseas. Even mega-projects like the North-South High-Speed Rail, once reserved for state-run giants, are now open to private bidding. By 2030, Vietnam hopes to elevate at least 20 private firms to a global scale. But Giang warned that there will be pushback from conservatives in the Communist Party and from those who benefit from state-owned firms. A Closing Window from climate change Even as political resistance threatens to stall reforms, climate threats require urgent action. After losing a major investor over flood risks, Bruno Jaspaert knew something had to change. His firm, DEEP C Industrial Zones, houses more than 150 factories across northern Vietnam. So it hired a consultancy to redesign flood resilience plans. Climate risk is becoming its own kind of market regulation, forcing businesses to plan better, build smarter, and adapt faster. 'If the whole world will decide it's a can go very fast,' said Jaspaert. When Typhoon Yagi hit last year, causing $1.6 billion (€1.4bn) in damage, knocking 0.15% off Vietnam's GDP and battering factories that produce nearly half the country's economic output, roads in DEEP C industrial parks stayed dry. Climate risks are no longer theoretical: If Vietnam doesn't take strong action to adapt to and reduce climate change, the country could lose 12–14.5% of its GDP each year by 2050, and up to one million people could fall into extreme poverty by 2030, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, Vietnam is growing old before it gets rich. The country's 'golden population' window—when working-age people outnumber dependents—will close by 2039 and the labour force is projected to peak just three years later. That could shrink productivity and strain social services, especially since families—and women in particular—are the default caregivers, said Teerawichitchainan Bussarawan of the Centre for Family and Population Research at the National University of Singapore. Vietnam is racing to pre-empt the fallout by expanding access to preventive healthcare so older adults remain healthier and more independent. Gradually raising the retirement age and drawing more women into the formal workforce would help offset labour gaps and promote "healthy ageing,' Bussarawan said.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
European leaders see hope for a ceasefire after the Trump and Putin summit
European leaders expressed cautious relief following their videoconference with Donald Trump, organized on Wednesday, August 13, at the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Europeans sought to decipher the intentions of the US president ahead of his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on Friday, August 15, and to persuade him not to compromise European security. Have these efforts paid off? The European participants answered in the affirmative. Merz said he had "hope that something is moving." Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, said he believes there is a "viable chance" of achieving a ceasefire, echoing Zelensky's view. French President Emmanuel Macron concluded from discussions with Trump that "what the United States wants is to obtain a ceasefire during this meeting in Alaska (...) as well as new prisoner exchanges and the liberation of children." Securing Putin's swift agreement to a ceasefire will therefore be Trump's objective on Friday in Anchorage, according to European officials. While Putin wants to maintain or even expand his positions in eastern Ukraine, "territorial" questions will reportedly not be raised at the summit, even though Trump had suggested otherwise two days earlier. Macron has stressed that there is no serious plan for territorial transactions and that Donald Trump has made it very clear that "the question of Ukrainian territory can and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president." A trilateral meeting, including Zelensky, could take place in the coming days, depending on the outcome of Friday's summit.
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- LeMonde
China shuts down a major lithium mine, triggering a surge in prices
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world's largest battery manufacturer, confirmed on Monday, August 11, that it had shut down its mine in Yichun, southeastern China, as it seeks to renew an expired operating license. This mine is far from insignificant: It accounts for around 6% of global production. Lithium prices soared 8% at the close, while the share prices of international mining companies also surged. The fate of this mine had been closely monitored for several weeks due to speculation that Chinese authorities would not renew its license. In 2024, CATL controlled between 35% and 40% of the global market for batteries used in electric vehicles, supplying most Chinese automakers and many foreign manufacturers such as Tesla, Toyota and BMW. Lithium is not a rare earth element, but it is a strategic, very light metal, notably used in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and, crucially, electric vehicles. In just a few years, it has become a key metal in the global race toward the energy transition.
