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Lindner in the budget debate: "I expect that in the end a combination of different instruments will be used"
Photo: IMAGO/Frederic Kern / IMAGO/Future Image
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has indicated that he will not insist on his proposal for a so-called tank discount.
At the same time, the FDP leader was more open than before to limited tax cuts on fuel.
"I expect that in the end a combination of different instruments will be used, because the circumstances are also very different," said Lindner in the budget debate in the Bundestag.
In view of the massive rise in fuel prices, Lindner had recently suggested relieving drivers with state subsidies.
You should pay less than two euros for a liter of super or diesel.
According to Lindner, the state could reimburse the wholesalers for this “tank discount”.
The concept was met with clear criticism from both the coalition partners and many economists because the subsidy would be paid regardless of consumption and income.
In the Bundestag, Lindner now said that "different ways are conceivable" for the discharge.
France and Italy, for example, opted for "a so-called 'tank discount'".
Sweden, on the other hand, relies »on lower energy taxes and a one-off payment to car owners. That needs to be discussed.
But I advise doing it in a European coordinated manner.«
Union representatives are calling for energy and value-added taxes to be reduced on fuel prices.
Lindner had initially rejected this by pointing out that the Union had not submitted a concept for counter-financing.
In the Bundestag, the finance minister argued with the EU's value-added tax system, which means that tax cuts in the member states are only possible to a limited extent.
According to Lindner, "European law currently does not allow the implementation of the Union's proposal".
But he was "of course" also open to tax measures.
“You just have to know what you're doing and how limited they are.
For us, the goal is important, not the individual means.«
A nine-person negotiating group from the traffic light parties has been struggling for an agreement on relief from the high petrol prices for the past week.
The SPD has presented its own concept with a so-called mobility money.
An increase in the commuter allowance is also under discussion.
The negotiations have so far been considered difficult.
Lindner's move away from the tank discount could now pave the way to a compromise with various relief components.
