Civil servants at the Federal Ministry of Finance have earned more than 700,000 euros from secondary employment since the beginning of the legislative period. According to the ministry, a total of 248 secondary activities were approved in 2022 and a total of 197 in 2023. The income from secondary activities amounted to 412,842 euros in 2022 and a total of 303,135 euros in 2023.
The figures come from an answer from the Ministry of Finance to a written question from CDU member of the Bundestag Matthias Hauer. The letter is available to the star.
This adds another facet to the discussion about the work of tax officials. The officials have been in the spotlight since a ZDF investigation recently revealed that a head of department at the Federal Ministry of Finance was said to have taken part as a speaker at an event where tips on avoiding taxes were presented. The house of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) then declared that it would review the rules of conduct for secondary employment.
The secondary activities are apparently a good source of income, especially for officials in the tax department. The BMF’s information shows that since the beginning of the legislative period, by far the highest income has come from the corresponding Department IV. In the tax department, remuneration from secondary activities totaled 159,666 euros in 2022 and a total of 98,558 euros in 2023.
The CDU MP Hauer now sees the Ministry of Finance as having a duty to clarify the cases in more detail. Particularly in the tax department, the secondary activities had reached “lavish proportions”. “The Ministry of Finance should ensure comprehensive transparency, also to protect employees. It is high time that the rules of conduct in the Ministry of Finance come to the test,” Hauer told Stern.
Hauer’s specific demand: “The BMF should explain in detail which secondary activities were approved, refused or revoked and which time limits, requirements or conditions the ministry has ordered. It must be ensured at all times that the official interests are not impaired in any way.”
