Demands are growing louder within the CDU for an extension of the fuel tax discount, currently limited to two months. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner told rbb24 Inforadio on Thursday that he believes "this relief cannot only apply for two months, but that it must be extended very, very quickly." Even if the situation in the Middle East eases again, it would "take a longer time for prices to reduce again."
The head of the CDU's social wing, Dennis Radtke, expressed similar views. If the situation at gas stations is similar in two months to what it is now, "one will either have to extend the measure or supplement it with new instruments," he told RND newspapers. Furthermore, Radtke is calling for a reduction in electricity tax for citizens before the summer break.
The chairman of the Verdi union, Frank Werneke, criticized the planned energy tax reduction as insufficient. "If fuel prices remain as high as they are now, we need a solution that goes beyond a minor tax reduction on fuel limited to two months," Werneke told the Politico portal. "What would be necessary is a cap on the profit margins of mineral oil companies, as in Belgium or Luxembourg. But the Union and SPD apparently don't dare to tackle that."
Werneke called for an increase in the commuter allowance by 17 cents to a total of 50 cents per kilometer. This should be offset against income tax and paid out annually.
The Bundestag is advancing the government coalition's plans for relief due to sharply increased fuel prices on Thursday. In the morning, Members of Parliament will deal in first reading with a draft law from the Union and SPD that provides for a two-month reduction in mineral oil tax on petrol and diesel by around 17 cents per liter each. The fuel discount is scheduled to apply from May 1st until the end of June.
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