Against the backdrop of price increases resulting from the Iran war, CDU politicians have expressed openness to eliminating value-added tax on basic foods. "The reduction or even abolition of value-added tax on basic foods, as also brought up by (Union parliamentary group leader) Jens Spahn, is fundamentally worth considering," Sebastian Steineke (CDU), the Union parliamentary group's consumer protection spokesman, told Handelsblatt newspaper on Sunday.
Consumers are currently suffering particularly from high prices, and there is no end to the burden in sight.
Therefore, relief on basic foods makes sense, "since everyone depends on them and the measures would arrive exactly where they are most urgently needed, with consumers with limited budgets," Steineke continued.
Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU's labor wing (CDA), also spoke out in favor of eliminating value-added tax on healthy foods. "I consider a value-added tax reduction on basic foods to be a conceivable form of relief," Radtke told Handelsblatt. "What's important is that we arrive at measures that also help immediately."
He criticized the federal government for what he sees as overly hesitant action. "The government must now get out of discussion group mode and take action," Radtke declared.
Previously, the SPD's business wing Seeheimer Kreis had called for eliminating value-added tax on healthy foods. German politics cannot control the international oil price, said Seeheimer chairman and deputy parliamentary group leader Esra Limbacher to Bild newspaper on Saturday. "But we can ensure that the price increases for energy and food don't land unmitigated in Germans' wallets."
Corresponding demands also came from the opposition. "From my perspective, it would make sense to reduce the value-added tax on basic foods to zero. Because that is something citizens would feel very concretely in their wallets," former Green Party leader Ricarda Lang told Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Sunday. Additionally, Lang advocated for reintroducing the nine-euro ticket as well as a right to work from home.
Normally, approximately one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas is transported through the Strait of Hormuz. However, since the start of the Iran war in late February, shipping traffic through the strait has largely come to a standstill. The blockade by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has led, among other things, to a dramatic increase in crude oil prices.
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
