German conservatives' tax cut plans may not boost support much

Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, said announcing tax cuts would probably boost the CDU's popularity somewhat, but he warned that the upside potential of such a move would likely be limited. "It's not as if those who are feeling frustrated, detached or insecure – the people voting AfD – are voting AfD because their tax is high, so I don't think it will be very effective," he said.

"It seems to me rather the opposite – that investment in integration of refugees and maybe even security apparatus and the police force would be a better way to spend that surplus if you want to contain the AfD's rise," he added.

...Odendahl said the survey showed that announcing tax cuts now would probably not generate the kind of popularity boost it might have done at other times.