Tax millions from the Sachsenwald: Count Bismarck under pressure!

Tax millions from the Sachsenwald: Count Bismarck under pressure!

A scandal in the Sachsenwald that lays like a shadow over the Region! Count Gregor von Bismarck, the forest owner, has collected more than 2.6 million euros in trade taxes in recent years. But the suspicion is in the room: Is these mailbox companies that benefit from the low tax rates? The excitement is great after a research by ZDF magazine Royale brought to light that at least 21 companies were registered in a hut in the Saxonswald.

The income literally explodes! While only around 4,100 euros were paid between 2017 and 2019, the figures in 2020 jumped to an incredible 671,000 euros and reached more than 1.1 million euros last year. FDP MP Christopher Vogt already speaks of a "small economic miracle" in the Sachsenwald and urgently demands information. The SPD MP Beate Raudies also convened a meeting in the Finance Committee to bring light into the dark.

legal gray area or legitimate income?

The Ministry of the Interior defends the regulation and explains that the amount of the trade tax rate of 275 percent is legally flawless. But the Lübeck public prosecutor's office is covered and does not comment on possible investigations because the tax secret is at stake. Graf von Bismarck himself rejects the allegations and emphasizes that trade taxes are used to maintain and reforest the largest forest in northern Germany. The companies in his hut emphasize that they are located there for reasons of sustainability.