Each year German handicraft businesses incur bureaucratic costs of about 19 million Euros which are caused due to the obligation to live up to statistical requirements. This amount corresponds to about 6% of total costs incurred by all German companies due to reporting requirements. According to the German government, however, this amount does not include all costs of this kind. More detailed information could only be provided when all data are available.
This somewhat disappointing answer by the government was prompted by an inquiry made in July by the faction of the Liberal Party in the Lower House of German Parliament.
According to the reply by the government, the Federal Statistical Office is currently calculating the overall burden on the economy due to bureaucratic requirements. Those costs incurred by businesses and factories which have already been calculated since spring 2007 amount to about 350 million Euros. The government said that the total amount of costs due to all legal reporting requirements in Germany amounted to 30 billion Euros.
According to the government, the co-called count of handicraft businesses would be replaced through examination of the business register. This, in the opinion of the government, would reduce the burden on handicraft businesses by “millions”. This count currently has to be carried out in intervals of eight to ten years. The next count would have had to take place by the next year at the latest. The abolition of it will save handicraft businesses about 24 million Euros in the year 2009. 