Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU) has rejected calls for an excess profits tax to curb high fuel prices. “Economy does not know any excess profits tax and economics also does not know any excess profits,” said Reiche Picture-Newspaper. “I cannot advise the government to undertake an intervention that is declared to be a constitutionally critical instrument,” she added. The Federal Finance Court has pointed out that it has the temporary excess profits tax at EU level after the Russian attack began on Ukraine is unconstitutional.
Many of the measures currently being discussed, including fuel vouchers or a cap on fuel prices, are “misleading,” said Reiche. However, she advocated a timely increase in the Commuter allowance. “I myself suggested that we address the issue of commuter allowances and temporarily increase the commuter allowance,” she said. According to the Economics Minister, Germans do not have to worry about mineral oil and gasoline shortages; there is no shortage.
Global prices for oil, gasoline and diesel have risen sharply as a result of the Iran war. For this reason, the federal government recently decided that Gas stations are only allowed to increase prices once a day. In addition, they have to face the Bundeskartellamt justify future price increases. According to the current ZDFPolitical barometer A majority of Germans support the measures for inadequate.
Federal Transport Minister refers to Deutschlandticket
However, the government does not want to initiate any further relief measures for the time being. They just want to examine various measures, said the chair of the responsible task force, Armand Zorn (SPD) and Sepp Müller (CDU). It would be possible besides an excess profits tax or increasing the commuter allowance or reducing energy or vehicle taxes. The exams are scheduled to last six weeks.
The SPD party leader Bärbel Bas had already a week ago in favor of an additional tax to skim off war-related corporate profits. “In my view, an excess profits tax would also be a conceivable option if the oil companies exploit the crisis for excessive profits,” said the Federal Labor Minister. The Federal Ministry of Finance by Lars Klingbeil (SPD) left the measure check for ZEIT information. The transport ministers of the federal states also called for it such a tax.
Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder is insisting on increased switching to railway offers. “For large parts of our country, I can only recommend switching to the Deutschlandticket – especially in the current situation,” Schnieder told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Schnieder rejected fuel price limits. “This is a strong intervention in the market that hinders competition. We should only consider this in an absolute emergency,” said the minister. He also rejected a speed limit on motorways. “If you drive cautiously, you’ll feel it in your wallet. People notice that even without a speed limit.”