A dream comes true. But what exactly happened? Since April 2026, around 200,000 citizens have been receiving a pre-filled tax return that they only need to check and confirm. By German standards, that feels almost absurd.

We’re used to hunting for forms, gathering data together, and explaining things the state already knows perfectly well. Often with unpleasant threatening letters breathing down our necks, warning of serious consequences if we don’t act soon.

And suddenly the opposite happens. The state shows up prepared. For the first time in Germany, a moment emerges where administration stops creating work and starts taking work away. Not completely, not everywhere, but noticeably.

Which bureaucratic burden should the state tackle next? What absolutely has to be automated?

Source: https://lnkd.in/ddqP57_m?

Image: This image was created with AI.

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