Federal Cabinet passes bureaucracy relief law

The Bureaucracy Relief Act IV, passed by the federal government, is intended to reduce the burden on businesses by almost one billion euros annually. The ZDH welcomes this but calls for further measures.

This article is part of the special topic Bureaucratic madness in the craft industry

"Today we are taking the next step in Combating bureaucratic burnout", announced Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP), after the Federal Cabinet had passed its draft for the Fourth Act to Relieve Citizens, Businesses and the Administration of Bureaucracy (BEG IV). The BEG IV is intended to reduce the burden on companies by EUR 944 million It is part of the plan adopted by the Federal Government at the Cabinet meeting in Meseberg in summer 2023. Debureaucratization package.

Also part of the package are the Growth Opportunities Act, the Raising the thresholds to determine the size classes of companies according to the Accounting Directive, an initiative to Reduction of bureaucratic burdens at EU level together with France and a collective regulation on Reduction of bureaucracy at the regulatory levelAll measures are intended to support the economy more than three billion euros "The Mesberg resolutions are the largest bureaucracy reduction program ever in Germany. The bureaucracy cost index has therefore fallen to its lowest All-time low", emphasizes Buschmann.

Relief volume increased

The Ministry of Justice had presented the draft bill in January of this year. The now adopted draft provides for a 262 million larger relief volume Originally, it was supposed to be 682 per year. Buschmann: "This shows that the federal government has understood. The BEG IV must only be the next, not the last step Because reducing bureaucracy is a Economic stimulus package at no costWe need to reduce, simplify, and streamline further laws – there is agreement on this within the Federal Government. One thing is clear: reducing bureaucracy must be a Long-running this legislative period."

These measures are plannedRetention periods are shortened: The commercial and tax retention periods for accounting documents such as copies of invoices, bank statements, and payroll records are to be reduced from ten to eight years. Companies can therefore dispose of the documents earlier than before, thereby saving considerable storage costs.

Central power of attorney database for tax advisory professions: In the future, tax advisors will be able to centrally deposit general powers of attorney in the area of ​​social security.

Hotel registration requirement is abolished: The hotel registration requirement for German citizens will be abolished.

Written form requirements are reduced: In the German Civil Code (BGB), the written form requirement is to be downgraded to text form, provided this is appropriate and appropriate. Unlike the written form, the text form does not require a handwritten signature: For example, an email, text message, or messenger message are also sufficient. Similar downgradings are planned in association law and corporate law, among others. For example, association members will in future be able to declare their consent to a resolution passed without a general meeting in text form. Shareholders of limited liability companies (GmbHs) will also be able to cast their votes in text form for resolutions passed outside of a general meeting if all shareholders agree. Furthermore, the written form requirements in the German Bond Act and the German Deposit Act will be downgraded.

Public auctions also possible online: The possibilities for conducting public auctions are to be expanded. In the future, they will also be able to take place either online via livestream or in a hybrid format (on-site and online).

Passenger handling can also be done digitally in the future: This will speed up processes at the airport. For the purpose of digital passenger processing, certain data can be read from the passport, with the traveler's express consent.

The deadline for comments is shortened: The period for public participation in authorisation procedures with environmental impact assessment, in which renewed public participation is required due to changes to the project, should be able to be shortened appropriately.
Source: BMJ

"It is important that the Bureaucracy Relief Act is now implemented," says Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens). He points to further relief through the almost completed interdepartmental Bureaucracy Reduction Ordinance "At the same time, it is clear that we cannot stop here to achieve noticeable relief. We must therefore implement the BEG IV with further topic-specific relief packages add to."

Expand practice checks

The Minister announces that the increased use of Practical checks all departments and the states to second pillar of bureaucracy relief "We will therefore gradually expand the instrument to other, topics particularly relevant for the broader SME sector such as sustainability reporting, the system of commissioners, and data protection," said Habeck. Further simplifications for start-ups and innovative, public-benefit-oriented companies are also to be created.

Further planned measures: The sustainable procurement should be with a Procurement transformation package be simplified and designed in such a way that regional and local companies can also benefit. "We are eliminating the upstream approval process and the random testing by the calibration authorities regarding software updates for smart meter gateways. We are consistently pursuing the development of the basic register for companies. In the future, companies should only have to submit their data to the administration once." Furthermore, the Foreign Trade Ordinance is to be amended to provide for the electronic issuance of administrative documents in addition to written ones.

Crafts demand further measures

"The Federal Government is rightly tightening up its efforts to reduce bureaucracy and is particularly taking action in the Evidence Act Proposal from the craft industry for a widespread abolition of the written form for employers. The direction taken is correct," commented Holger Schwanncke. The measures but were far from enoughto provide overall and noticeable relief to craft businesses, said the Secretary General of the Central Association of German Crafts"An even clearer message of bureaucracy reduction is necessary." Potential for this exists, Bundestag is now required, further relief measures to say goodbye."

The managing director of the Saxon Crafts Day argues similarly, Andreas Brzezinski: "From the crafts perspective, the draft law aims at right directionNevertheless, we believe that the measures adopted are sufficient under no circumstances to ease the burden on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises so that these effects are actually felt in everyday business. After all, small players in particular have always been at a disadvantage in the market due to a multitude of notification, reporting and documentation obligations compared to large companies. particularly disadvantaged."

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