It‘s that time again: The President of the German Taxpayers Federation (Bund der Steuerzahler, BdSt), Reiner Holznagel, presented the 53rd Black Book “Public Waste 2025/26” in Berlin. It highlights 100 new examples from various areas. This year‘s focus chapter of the Black Book examines follow-up costs of investments, with a special emphasis on potential taxpayer money waste. Several cases come from Berlin this time, as the BdSt reports.

The Berlin state chairman of the German Taxpayers Federation, Alexander Kraus, comments on the Berlin Black Book cases: „Berlin plans to take on over eleven billion in additional loans within three years and raise its debt level to over 80 billion euros. The draft double budget for 2026/27 foresees record-high expenditures. However, we cannot see any serious savings being made against this background. The public sector is spending tax money with full hands, as if there were no tomorrow.“ The following examples are meant to illustrate this.

Repeat Election in Berlin: District Mayors and Councilors with Civil Servant Status Relieved  of Duties

The BdSt criticizes, among other things, the consequences of the 2023 Berlin repeat election. By law, several district mayors and councilors with civil servant status were relieved of their duties due to a shift in majorities in the district assemblies – yet they continued to receive full salaries until the end of the legislative period. This amounts to a total cost of 2.2 million euros.

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„The paid release of the district mayors and councilors with monthly salaries of around 10,000 to 11,000 euros for a period of more than three years, while counting toward their pension, was an expensive horse trade,“ states a BdSt announcement.

Special Translation Software for Websites

Around 60,000 euros were spent on the websites of the districts and the Senate to install special translation software. However, most internet browsers already have translation software: „The Berlin House of Representatives addressed a problem that no longer exists at all.“

German Taxpayers Federation Criticizes Bicycle Boxes

The BdSt is accusing the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district of building 50 bicycle boxes and having the construction costs borne by the general public. „There is a justice problem when the general public covers the construction costs for protected bicycle parking spaces that can only be used exclusively by tenants and are merely to be seen as an extension of a private bicycle cellar,“ says the association.

Criticism of Berlin Scarf and 29-Euro Ticket

Furthermore, the BdSt criticizes the Senate over a donation campaign for the homeless. In March, the sale of an exclusive Berlin scarf was launched. Of the 35 euro price, 15 euros are donated to homeless aid. Advertising and marketing services costing 45,000 euros were reported. „By the way, the numerous posters in the city say nothing about the problem of homelessness or the fundraising – they merely advertise the sale of the scarf. Instead, genuine political solutions to this problem would be more important than warm words and campaigns,“ the association explained.

The 29-euro ticket also appears in the Black Book. The new Berlin state government introduced the cheaper alternative to the Deutschlandticket in July 2024. However, sales of the ticket were discontinued in December 2024 due to the huge budget deficit. Subscribers were reimbursed for the difference to the twice-as-expensive Deutschlandticket by the state. According to the Senate, the costs for this expensive goodwill solution are expected to amount to around 60 million euros. Continuing the subscription would have burdened the 2025 budget with approximately 145 million euros.

This article was originally written and published on the 30th of September in German. It was translated in English with the use of Artificial Intelligence.