In fact, the government may even have contributed a bit to the good economic data by announcing a serious effort to consolidate Germany’s own public finances – a prerequisite for investor confidence. According to the government, substantial tax increases will bring the fiscal deficit below the 3%-of-GDP limit set by the Stability and Growth Pact – a target missed for five consecutive years – by 2007.
实际上，莫克尔政府通过宣布有力措施巩固德国自身的公共财政而甚至可能为良好的经济数据作出了贡献。巩固自身的公共财政对于投资者信心而言是前提条件。根据政府的数据，大幅度增税将在2007年把财政赤字降低到欧洲稳定和增长公约规定的GDP的3%以下的限度。过去5年来德国一直超过了这一限度。