Germany plans tax breaks worth 1.5 billion euros for R&D - sources

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz wants to support companies that are investing in research and development (R&D) by granting them annual tax breaks of at least 1.5 billion euros (1.3 billion pounds), two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.Scholz, a member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) who are junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government, wants to focus the planned R&D tax breaks on small- and medium-sized firms, the two sources said.Econ