The End Of Solidarity

You're looking at a part of my payslip.  Gesetzliche Abzüge are mandated deductions from your pay.  And until today there was always the Soli.

I shall explain.

When East & West Germany reunified way back in 1990, the government introduced a new tax - der Solidaritätszuschlag (der Soli) - that was meant to pay for bridging the income inequalities between East & West.

People in the East complained that it wasn't enough & (some) people in the West complained because they are good at complaining about everything.

Anyway they have abolished the tax.  This is the first month without it.  How will I spend the extra 20 Euros a month?  Probably on potatoes from Mecklenburg Vorpommern*.

Probably not though. :-)

Why Blip my payslip?  It rained - German style - all day.  German style means it poured with rain without stopping.  I wanted to get up early and I was awake, but the rain made me want to stay in bed.  And when Chaiyya came for a cuddle, that was all the reason I needed.

* A state in the former DDR