One can’t fault Angela Merkel for dithering:

Germany’s new left-right government took its first step towards restoring the nation’s depleted finances on Thursday when it announced the immediate scrapping of tax loopholes worth about €2bn ($2.4bn, £1.4bn) a year in lost revenue.

The last phrase is always a wonderful one in the reporting of taxation issues, “lost revenue.” Lost to whom? Oh right, “lost revenue” to government. When these types of “loopholes” are scrapped the burden is shifted even more to individuals. Will there be any articles speaking of the now “lost revenue” to the actual taxpayer?