The Social Democratic Party (SPD), a major rival of German Chancellor Angela, on Sunday formally kicked off their chancellorship campaigning for the general election on Sept. 27.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, SPD deputy leader as well as the party's official nominee for chancellorship in the general election, addressed over 2,000 supporters in Berlinon Sunday, setting out his bid to wrest leadership of Germany away from Merkel at the upcoming election.
In his keynote speech, Steinmeier declared his resolve to oust his conservative coalition partner from the chancellery in September's national vote.
"We have better answers than the others, ... I want to govern as chancellor," Steinmeier said.
Steinmeier underpinned his claim to topple Merkel, his top rival in the election, by presenting his party's manifesto, which calls for increased taxes on the rich, while cutting them for those less well-off.
Earlier on Saturday, leaders of the SPD had met in Berlin to approve an election manifesto designed to win over voters with more spending.
Key points of the platform are tax cuts and state handouts for low-income groups and families with children to be financed in part by a tax on the rich and a levy on stock transactions.
According to German radio Deutche Welle, the SPD has pledged to boost the highest tax rate for people earning more than 125,000 euros (around 163,000 U.S. dollars) to 47 percent from 45 percent, and to cut the lowest rate to 10 percent from 14 percent.
The proposed scheme also offers a 300-euro bonus for taxpayers who do not file a tax return to claim small rebates, a move that will cut red tape.
"Those with strong shoulders must now carry more weight in this crisis," Steinmeier said.
Currently the SPD and Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU)are ruling Germany jointly as a coalition.
However, the center-left SPD is seeking to distance itself from Merkel's conservative CDU after four years of relative harmony.
