I'd be genuinely interested in the evidence to back up the counterintuitive idea that paying for foreigners to get degrees is a boost to the German tax payer

Germany has a major demographical problem with its own nationals... it's part of the reason why it accepted so many Syrian refugees. Its ageing population would otherwise be getting into Japanese territory. So encouraging as much skilled immigration to it as possible has been a German policy for years. And a fair amount of those foreigners who study in Germany do internships and then work there after their degrees, avoiding skill shortages and providing tax income, as well as keeping standards at the universities themselves very high.

Octavious, if that BBC article didn't provide enough facts for you, it's actually very logical:
People who come here from far away to start studying are building up a new life here. They'll have their friends here, maybe a partner, they start to get used to the culture and most of the people they hang out with will work in Germany and get them onto the same ideas.
University is a good time to socialise and build up a new environment to live in, as most of the other students are in the same situation. This usually leads to quick integration and assimilation.

@GOD: I'm from the Netherlands, you know that right? A short while ago it was in the news that we 'have' a tank again, except it's borrowed. Your example doesn't really apply to me.
I agree that it's better to cut military spendings. You're kind of employing the same tactic that kasimax was opposing though..

Spendings on defence are about 20% higher than culture spendings in the Netherlands. It's hardly 'those little culture subsidies' when compared to defence spendings.

@ GOD

That's a nice theory. What I have yet to see is any evidence to back it up.

@Octavious The evidence is the US. They habe profited from importing and educating smart people since a good century.

And steephie, the Dutch did participate quite actively in Afghanistan, didn't they? Also, where does all the subsidised money go to? Back into the national economy. So it's not like the money is being blown out of the window, even if you set the importance of culture aside...

http://immigrationimpact.com/2014/11/19/international-students-add-billions-u-s-economy/

"New data released Monday from NAFSA: Association of International Educators shows the economic benefits of the record-breaking international student enrollment in the United States. According to NAFSA, for the 2013-2014 academic year, international students and their families at colleges and universities across the U.S. contributed $26.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 340,000 jobs."

The point seems rather obvious. Bringing in educated people leads to more spending and a larger skilled workforce pool.

The problem is the long-term part for me because it's unnecessary. Just raise the ticket prices and you're done. If it's supposed to be l'art pour l'art, don't walk away with profit earned through subsidies.

Moreover, a decent amount of that money is used to force culture down students' throats. I know that certainly got me off the cultural path, which is bad for culture and economy.

So that's the real cause of the Global Financial Crisis... Steephie's disenchantment with things cultural... if only Adam Smith's invisible hand would clip this blighter's ears..&.perhaps the artistic community hasn't even noticed his absence, but is thankful nonetheless.....and as has been said many times..you may lead a whore to culture, but you cannot make him think

Looks a typo...lead a horse to culture...

You should be able to choose what culture you like.
Disagreed?

"Just raise the ticket prices and you're done."

dear steephie, you obviously have no idea what you're talking about.

i don't know if you know the "burgtheater" in vienna, but it is probably THE most famous german-speaking theatre. they sell more than 80% of their seats overall (hint: that's a lot). you can look at their finances for the last season here (german): http://www.burgtheater.at/Content.Node2/home/ueber_uns/aktuelles/Geschaeftsbericht-2014-15.at.php

quick summary:
revenue from tickets: 8,5 million €
subsidies: 46 million €

you're asking to raise the average ticket price of 20€ by more than 100€.

"Moreover, a decent amount of that money is used to force culture down students' throats."

i have no idea what you're talking about.

At the end of the day, the sums invested in culture make a massive difference in culture compared to a fairly minor difference in most other things. If you measure things in terms of "bang for your buck" then Culture is one of the highest returns there. Its budget is often negligible in the grand scheme of things.