Conference on Jewish Claims Against Germany Protests Bonn Action

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany today protested the failure to exempt assets of victims of Nazism from special tax legislation now pending in the Bonn Parliament. Revenue from this tax would be used to assist German nationals whose present hardships are the consequence of Hitler’s aggression.

The Conference reiterated its position that it would be indefensible if those who have borne the brunt of Nazi persecution were now forced to surrender any part of assets they have recovered since the war, in order to ease the hardships of Germans. A statement on the subject, issued by the praesidium of the Conference, reads:

“The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany views with grave concern the attempts to subject victims of Nazi persecution to taxation under the proposed Equalization of Burdens legislation in Western Germany.

“The Conference, speaking on behalf of 23 major Jewish organizations in the world, feels constrained to call attention to the grave injustice of forcing victims of Nazi terror to contribute towards the amelioration of certain hardships to German nationals which resulted from Hitler’s aggressive policies.

“The draft of the Equalization of Burdens law, which is currently before the Parliament of the German Federal Republic, fails to exempt victims of Nazi persecution from the levy on all capital assets in Germany. If adopted in its present form, this measure would deprive the survivors of Nazi genocide of half of their assets which they may succeed in recovering in Germany.

“In this connection, the Conference also wishes to stress that the vast majority of persecutees would be excluded from any benefits envisaged under the proposed measure since they do not reside in Germany.”