Is Germany being unreasonable? Childfree adults paying more for elder care

[Fauxlein]

"Childfree adults to pay more in elder care contributions — report
According to a report from German media group RND, federal Health Minister Nina Warken has prepared a draft bill that would have adults without children pay a higher percentage of taxes towards publicly-funded elder care.
The bill would have contributions from childfree adults increase by 0.7% over a period of years, meaning they would pay 2.5% of their income each month. Their employer will be expected to pay 1.8%. For adults with children the rates will remain the same: 1.8% for people with one child, 1.55% for people with two children, and 1.3% for people with three or more children.
Under the proposal, all adults over the age of 23 who are working full-time would be affected.
It is unclear when Warken, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), will submit the draft to the cabinet. Her ministry had originally said it would present a proposal for elder care reform in mid-May. With a long-stagnating birthrate mildly buoyed by immigration, Germany needs to act fast to make sure older generations can be taken care of without placing an undue burden on young people."

YABU - German Health Minister is being unreasonable, it's not kids responsibility to look after elderly parents and is unfair to penalise child free people
YANBU - this seems like a fair counterbalance to increasing costs to the state of elder care

I also don't have children and it does seem unfair on the surface.

However, I don't begrudge paying tax for schools, maternity etc as a) I went to school as a child so arguably I'm "paying back" for that and also we are educating our adults of tomorrow in whatever jobs they may choose for society so it's a cyclical thing.

In true German fashion, it’s a bit more complex than that. You automatically pay 0.6% less ‘care insurance‘ for being a parent, and that’s for life. Then you also pay an extra 0.25% less per child if you have at least 2 DC under 25 (max 5 kids). So parents of younger kids and those who might still be in education pay even less because they will probably still have active costs of raising those children. But you also get the basic 0.6% less as an acknowledgment of having had kids in the first place.
And a reminder that this is only the tiny amount of money people pay for their care insurance. Nobody is particularly bothered by it because the amounts involved are so low.
There are other things to get really exercised about in German society, but not this. Like, for instance, the fact that every household is obliged to have a TV licence, whether they watch tv or even have a tv - and the content of German public tv is just terrible. My tv licence costs me more than I save through this care insurance ‘discount’. It’s just one of those things.

Excellent point!

I agree 100% with this.

I read today that up until 1979 a husband had to give permission for his wife to work! Why on earth did anyone get married! I know we had equally outrageous laws here like needing permission to have a bank account etc. But ultimately there are a lot of people in society who want women at home looking after kids and this is a policy which pushes us back in that direction.

The TV licence is a massive topic here as well. But we do have somewhat better TV.