German Party Selector

Provide more tax relief for families with children. No tax increases and cut the lowest income tax bracket to 12 percent from 14 percent. Raise the threshold for highest income tax rate for individuals to 60,000 euros from 52,552 euros. Deficit reduction should have priority over tax cuts.

Lower the minimum taxe rate to 10% from 14%. Raise the tax break for each child per household by 200 euros from 2010. Raise the top rate of taxation for couples to 47 percent from 45 percent for incomes from 125,000 euros (the top threshold was previously 250,000 euros). Levy a sales tax on stock market transactions

Cut up 35 billion euros of taxes on families and people with middle incomes.simplify the tax system and shift to a three-band system, with rates of 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent. The top rate would only apply to income over 50,000 euros. Ban net new borrowing for the federal government, states and communities to stabilize the budget. Provid a tax exemption of 8,000 euros for each adult and child in a family. Also lower taxes on businesses.

Tax reform that includes a 'redistribution from the top to the bottom'. Only tax incomes of more than 12,000 euros per year and the top tax rate on couples should be raised to 53 from 45 percent. Introduce a 'Millionaire's Tax' on private wealth, a property tax and a bonus tax. Increase inheritance tax.

Levy a sales tax on stock market transactions and raise the top rate of tax on individuals from 42 to 45%. Create a property tax.

Nationalise private banks and strictly regulate financial markets. Give employees a larger stake in their companies. End privatization of all public authorities. Create 2 million jobs through massive investment of 100 billion euros in health care, education, climate protection, and infrastructure and 100 billion euros in state spending to help firms develop social and environmental programmes.

Create incentives to spur investment in environmentally-friendly and innovative projects. Rule out for 4 years privatization of the national rail operator. Invest in green technology.

Create 1 million new jobs by investment (particularly in green energy) and financial incentives. Oppose privatization of 'natural state monopolies' such as transport, health, education, water, and rubbish collection.

Support moderate economic liberalisation but maintain the social market economy.

Support significant economic liberalisation (while maintaining the basic elements of the social market economy). Strengthen small- and medium-sized businesses by changing business tax rates to 10 and 25 percent. Improve the investment climate through privatization, deregulation, and reducing bureaucracy.

Loosen rules on protecting workers from dismissal. Oppose a new minimum wage.

Do not support a national minimum wage but ban 'immorally low wages'. Create a 'minimum income' made up of wages and supplementary state support. Support "stabilisation" of non-wage labour costs and better security for workers who lose their jobs due to economic crisis.

Designate a minimum wage of 7.5 euros per hour in many sectors. 40% of senior management positions and seats on company boards should be filled by women. Extend until 2015 a federal subsidy that aims to ease the transition from work to retirement by offering financial support to staff who go on reduced hours.

Introduce a minimum wage of 7.5 euros per hour. Create binding quotas of 50% women in the private sector.

Introduce a minimum wage of 10 euros per hour during the next four years. Expand job protection rules and ban mass layoffs in companies not facing insolvency.

Increase the unemployment benefit to 420 euros per month. A citizen's social insurance, mainly covering health, should be introduced for all, where contributions are based on pay. Provide strong financial support for children.

Abolish the HARTZ IV welfare system and raise welfare payments to 500 euros per month from 350. Reform state pension system to include contributions from those now exempted: self-employed people and civil servants. Do not raise the retirement age and. Introduce free child care and extend state-funded parent leave to 24 months from 14. Dramatically increase spending on health care and create a citizens social insurance scheme.

Reduce the welfare state and move towards privatizing health and carry out market based health reforms. Raise the retirement age.

A citizen's social insurance, mainly covering health, should be introduced for all, where contributions are based on pay. Workers should be allowed to take up to 10 days off to care for a close relative. The pension system for eastern and western Germany should be standardised. Slowly raise the retirement age.

Pensions should be above poverty line. Increase Government subsidies for families and take a cautious attitude towards market based reform of the welfare state. Raise the retirement age.

Pull out of Afghanistan by 2013. Support further European integration and Turkey's entry into the EU. Oppose EU taxation powers.

Withdraw from Afghanistan. Abolish conscription. Replace NATO with a collective security system that includes Russia. Support further EU integration. Support Turkey's entry into the EU and remove the remaining US nuclear weapons from Germany. Cancel all third world debt to Germany.

Stay in Afghanistan for the moment. Support further European integration and Turkey's entry into the EU. Support EU taxation powers.

Keep troops in Afghanistan. Support further EU integration but push for new rules about eurozone spending and bailouts. Oppose EU taxation powers and Turkey's entry.

Keep troops in Afghanistan but remove all US nuclear weapons in Germany. Support further EU integration but oppose Turkey's entry. Oppose EU tax raising powers.

Cut by 10% the number of children who drop out of school and abolish tuition fees for first degrees. Introduce comprehensive schools.

Raise education spending by 25 billion euros per year by 2015. Improve education for immigrants. Maintain the three tier school system and oppose comprehensive schools. Support moderate tuition fees with a student loan system.

Oppose the three tier education system, oppose tuition fees, and increase spending on research and development.

Support tuition fees.

Oppose all tuition fees, introduce comprehensive schools. Give every school leaver the right to an apprenticeship.

Abolish taxes on biofuels, tax kerosene use by aircraft, speed up the phase out of nuclear power, nationalise the power grid and promote public transport. Also, decentralize power generation and supply.

Extend the lives of nuclear power plants in Germany that are scheduled to be shut down over the next decade. Utilities should give consumers a share of the windfall earnings from the longer use and earmark another share of the profits to develop new energy technologies. Do not build any more nuclear power stations.

By 2020, reduce CO2 emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels. By 2020, at least 40 percent of electricity from renewable energies. Phase out nuclear power.

Phase out nuclear power and get 50% of all power from renewable sources by 2030. Only approve new coal fired power stations under certain conditions. Create up to 500000 jobs in the energy sector by 2020 through ambitious climate policies. Incentives should be created to spur investment in environmentally-friendly and innovative projects.

Use a mixture of coal, oil, gas, nuclear and renewables in power production. Do not phase out nuclear power.

Prevent civil liberties being eroded in the war on terror. Give same sex couples the same rights and heterosexual couples. Also, support tough strike laws.

Punish criminals more severely and allow the army to carry out actions inside germany. Increase the powers of the police and intelligence services to fight terrorism, even at the expense of civil liberties. Require immigrants to integrate more.

Do not allow the army to carry out actions inside Germany and restrict the powers of the intelligence service. Repeal tough strike laws to allow both general strikes and political strikes. Allow more asylum seekers . Liberalise abortion laws and give equal rights to same-sex couples.

Allow dual citizenship, make it easier for immigrants to become naturalized, allow non-naturalised immigrants to vote in local elections. Support equal rights for same sex couples. Encourage direct democracy through referendums. Oppose all erosions of civil liberties. Legalise soft drugs such as cannabis.

Oppose some erosions of civil liberties and give equal rights to same sex couples.

Deregulation, tax cuts, and economic liberalisation

Redistribution of wealth from the top to the bottom, and protecting the welfare state

Dealing with climate change, protecting the environment and getting rid of nuclear power

Balancing the budget and maintaining economic stability

Protecting the welfare state while maintaining economic stability

Christian Democrat

Conservative

Socialist

Classical Liberal

Social Liberal

Social Democrat

Communist

Green/Environmentalist

Economic Liberal

Third Way