BERLIN – The German government’s tax revenue is likely to sink by 81.5 billion euros ($88.4 billion) this year as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the first drop since the financial crisis a decade ago, according to an official estimate released Thursday.
A twice-yearly assessment by tax experts, released by the finance ministry, showed that federal, state and local authorities are expected to take in 717.8 billion euros this year, down from 797.3 billion euros in 2019.
The previous forecast for this year, made in November, was for an increase to 816.4 billion euros. The new assessment foresees Germany’s tax take recovering to 792.5 billion euros in 2021 and 816 billion euros in 2022.