German army wastes millions on lip balm, sunscreen: Report

BERLIN - Reuters

Chancellor Angela Merkel poses with soldiers in this photo. A report has revealed the army is wasting millions. REUTERS photo

Germany’s army is wasting millions of Euros of taxpayers’ money producing its own sunscreen, cough drops and lip balm rather than buying them off the shelf, auditors said on Nov. 13.

The annual report by the German Federal Court of Auditors said the army had spent 20 million Euros on building a facility to produce its own products, which also included insect repellent and nasal sprays.

Compounding the problem, about 90 percent of some the military’s own personal care products end up being thrown away, said the report. “There’s a lot of scope to eliminate waste,” Court of Auditors president Dieter Engels told reporters in Berlin.

The report will embarrass many in Germany where officials have been especially vocal in criticizing Greece and other crisis-hit eurozone countries for failing to collect taxes efficiently.

“It’s a question of cost effectiveness,” said Engels. “That doesn’t always mean the cheapest way is the best way but rather it’s important to keep the cost-benefit ratio in mind.”

The federal government could reduce its own deficit and the national debt at a faster pace by eliminating some of the waste, the report said.