Dresden Paul family tax refusal and homelessness, Digi Mart USA News (Dresden, Germany): The Dresden family Paul, who call themselves “Rednik” (“Kinder” spelled backwards), reject the state and everything it stands for, including personal identification documents, state benefits, insurance and compulsory schooling. For years the family has had conflicts with authorities because it wants to live by its own rules.
The situation has now escalated. Because the family did not pay the property tax on its home for years, debts grew so large that the house was sold at a forced auction.
In August a police operation followed and the house was cleared by force. For several weeks the six family members, including the ten-year-old daughter Z., have been living on the street in front of their former home on Stephensonstraße.
In a blog post, the family wrote that “because of a one-time 1,500 euro property tax demand that violates the Basic Law, our almost self-sufficient livelihood was destroyed: our debt-free house on Stephensonstraße.” Father Michael Paul, 57, has started a hunger strike, which apparently aims to force the return of the house. Mother Annette, 51, told the Ostdeutsche Allgemeine that “the authorities were sure we wouldn’t last more than a few days, but we are still here,” and described life on the street as “vegetating.”
Press photos show the visibly emaciated family members in thick jackets sitting on sleeping mats on the street. The case illustrates the difficulties authorities face when people radically break with state structures.
Despite being homeless, the parents reject accommodation offered by the city, such as emergency shelters. According to the Tag24 portal, the family said: “The only option is and remains our lawful home on Stephensonstraße.
We have a home and we want it back.”
The family has faced sharp criticism as well as sympathy. One social media comment stated: “If an adult makes decisions for themselves, that is their business.
But drawing the children into it and taking away their home is something entirely different. These parents are acting irresponsibly.”
Authorities have become involved because of the minor daughter’s situation. A procedural guardian has reportedly been appointed for Z., who sleeps at night with her mother in a borrowed car.
The city of Dresden clarified that the youth welfare office must act if there is an acute danger to the child’s life or health. The father’s mental health is also to be assessed, and a letter to the family reportedly mentions possible placement in a psychiatric facility.
Many people associate the Pauls with the Reichsbürger movement. Annette Paul said: “We are often placed in the Reichsbürger corner because we reject the state and its legal system.” She stresses that the family sees itself as a socially critical “Free Family.” According to the family, its break with state structures began in 2012, against the background of a long dispute over compulsory schooling.
Michael Paul, a former temporary soldier, and his wife Annette, who say both studied to be teachers, took their three oldest, then still minor, daughters out of school to teach them at home, which is not permitted in Germany. After a police operation the children were placed in various homes for eight months.
According to the Ostdeutsche Allgemeine, the allegation of child endangerment could ultimately not be proven. The children later returned, but attended school for varying lengths of time.
The youngest daughter has never attended kindergarten or school.
As a consequence of their rejection of the system, the family does without personal documents and state benefits such as social assistance, citizen’s allowance or child benefit. According to the family, its members are also not health insured.
The parents say they earn a living partly through odd jobs; Annette at one point worked for a mobile hairdressing service. Otherwise the Pauls largely live as self-sufficient households.
They also refused to pay taxes: according to the Ostdeutsche Allgemeine, they stopped payments of the property tax. The city issued payment reminders for 2015 and 2016 totaling 1,500 euros including all processing fees.
The debts now reportedly amount to several thousand euros.
Michael Paul’s parents are also critical of his conduct. His father Rainer considers his son’s stance wrong and has tried to mediate with the authorities.
“I always told my son that in a society there are rules and everyone must abide by them, and property tax liability is part of that,” he told the Ostdeutsche Allgemeine. He contacted the office of Dresden Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP) seeking a solution, and after several attempts First Mayor Jan Donhauser offered a meeting.
The grandparents also reportedly own a holiday apartment where the family could temporarily stay, but the Pauls have so far declined this option as well.
It is uncertain whether Michael Paul’s central demand can still be met, because the house now belongs to someone else. An entrepreneur bought the property, with more than 400 square meters of living space, at the forced auction in November 2025 for 360,000 euros.
An appraiser had previously estimated its value at 700,000 euros, but could not inspect the interior because the family refused him access.
