From June 27, six-week school holidays will begin in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
June is Pride month. You can attend and engage in various events throughout June to protest the global oppression of queer individuals, honor those lost to homophobic crimes, and celebrate progress in queer liberation.
Starting June 20, 2025, the European Union will mandate labels for smartphones and tablets sold in the bloc, providing information on energy efficiency, durability, repairability, and battery life. More on it later in the newsletter.
June 8, 9, and 19 are public holidays in some federal states.
New reform concerning Hausartz in Germany.
The German government introduces an annual flat rate for GPs (General Practitioners). This will reduce the administrative work of GPs and free up more time for new patients.
Remove budget caps on GP fees. Hence, enabling GPs to treat more patients without financial penalties.
You must first visit a GP before going to a specialist. This aims to reduce the waiting time for a specialist's appointment.
You may pay more tax on dividends from US stocks
Current tax on dividends from US stocks
Currently, 30% withholding tax is due on dividends from US stocks. However, the US and Germany have a double taxation agreement. This reduces the tax to 15%. Furthermore, you can offset this 15% tax against your German withholding tax.
Proposal by Trump
The bill proposes higher withholding taxes, which would apply if other countries impose a "discriminatory tax" on U.S. citizens. For example, the German government recently proposed imposing a 10% digital tax on U.S. technology companies.
The U.S. Treasury Department determines which taxes imposed by other countries come under "discriminatory tax."
If a country imposes a "discriminatory tax," the withholding tax would increase by 5% each year, up to a maximum of 20%. For Germany, this would mean a withholding tax of up to 35% instead of 15%.
If the increased withholding tax bill passes, it'll reduce your return on US stocks. For example, the return of an MSCI World ETF will be reduced by approximately 0.15% per annum.
Conclusion
The bill hasn't passed yet. So, there is no impact as of today.
Even if the bill passes, your returns from US stocks will not decrease significantly. Regardless, you should have a diversified portfolio with the right balance of stocks from different countries in the world.
The best way to achieve it is by buying ETFs. US stocks account for a major portion (more than 50%) of most world ETFs. Thus, another way to reduce your exposure to US stocks is by buying ETFs focusing on other countries or continents, such as EU ETFs, developing country ETFs, etc.
Our social media content calendar is packed with insights into Germany. Learn new German words, discover new places and cuisine in Germany, view infographics like the one above, and more.
A new phishing scam targets Booking.com users through official channels like the app or website. You'll recieve messages in your app that appear to come from hotels or accommodations.
Scam Tactics: Fraudulent messages claim payment issues or request "additional card security". In the message, the scammer asks you to act quickly and provide payment details on external sites (outside booking.com). The website url usually contains the term "booking.com" to confuse you. E.g., "booking.com-payment-verification.xyz/", “daten.gaeste-booking.com/”
How It Works: Criminals likely gain access to a hotel's Booking.com accounts. This lets them view guest bookings and send convincing messages with accurate booking details.
Recognizing Fraud: Warning signs include pressure to act fast, requests to enter payment details outside Booking.com, or links to unfamiliar websites.
Protective Measures:
Avoid entering payment information on external sites linked in messages.
Verify suspicious messages by calling the hotel directly using contact details from their official website or contacting Booking.com’s customer service.
If you’ve fallen victim, report the incident to your bank immediately so that your account is blocked (e.g., via Germany’s 116 116 hotline) and notify Booking.com.
This scam highlights the need for strong passwords or passphrases to protect accounts. Always set up two-factor authentication to protect your account.
Reviews mean everything for online platforms, and GermanPedia is no different.
You can help us compete in Google search by leaving reviews on Google. These really (yes, really) help and are a vital part of Google's discovery and recommendation algorithms.
So, if you find what we are doing helpful, please leave a simple star rating or a short review on Google. This will help more users discover GermanPedia.
A warning has been issued for dog owners concerning blue algae in Berlin's Tegeler See. One dog died due to blue algae toxins. Locals are warned to avoid visiting Tegeler See with their dogs. [1]
German Chancellor Merz announced that Germany will help Ukraine develop long-range missile systems. The new system will be free of any Western-imposed limitations or restrictions. [2]
German Chancellor Merz criticized the recent Israeli airstrike on a school shelter. "It's a human tragedy and political catastrophe," he said in a publicly aired interview by WDR.
Community Shoutouts! 📣
We will launch two new books next month. One explains everything about the German tax system and offers tax-saving tips. The other is for people who want to start their business in Germany. It will guide you through all the German bureaucracy and offer tips to accelerate your business growth.
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New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Important changes European wholesale gas prices jumped about 20% within a week. This is due to cold weather, rapidly declining storage levels, and new geopolitical risks around Iran and global LNG flows. You may expect a big heating bill if the prices continue to rise. [1] Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums...
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Important changes Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums each public insurer will charge in 2026 here. You can also use our calculator to check your 2026 costs and the savings potential by switching to a more affordable provider. More on it later. We summarized all changes that will affect you from Jan 2026 in...
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Important changes Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums each public insurer will charge in 2026 here. You can also use our calculator to check your 2026 costs and the savings potential by switching to a more affordable provider. More on it later. We summarized all changes that will affect you from Jan 2026 in...
