In 2023 the Chamber of Crafts in Mannheim published a flyer on what a craftsman’s hour costs. Its business adviser Rolf Koch encouraged craftsmen to hand it to their customers. The flyer takes apart the hourly rate of a metalworking shop. The journeyman’s gross wage is 21.50 euros. Then come social costs set by law and by collective agreement, operating overhead, the owner’s own pay, and a surcharge of 3.59 euros for the owner’s risk and profit. With 19 percent VAT, the hour costs 76.58 euros. The flyer calls this the lower price limit. Koch’s comment was blunt: Darunter kann der Betrieb nicht, sonst muss der Chef weniger essen. The shop cannot go below this, or the boss has to eat less.