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FDP leader Christian Lindner: "The schedule is ambitious, but a future government must be too"
Photo: FABRIZIO BENSCH / REUTERS
Ineffective and climate-damaging subsidies should be checked, the traffic light parties are basically in agreement on this.
But it gets difficult with the details.
While the Greens are generally promoting a reduction in subsidies that are harmful to the climate and have advocated a limit on the commuter allowance during the election campaign, FDP chairman Christian Lindner is sticking to it.
One would examine subsidies, said Lindner of the Düsseldorf "Rheinische Post".
"However, the reduction in subsidies must not lead to a tax increase for the working middle class, as would be the case with the commuter allowance."
"Expensive and inefficient"
The commuter allowance, i.e. the tax deductibility of travel costs for the way to work, is considered harmful to the climate because it also favors the use of the car.
The Green politician Sven-Christian Kindler, co-negotiator of the Finances and Budget working group, told the dpa news agency: "It is not smart, in the midst of the climate crisis, to fuel it with large double-digit billions in taxpayers' money." Climate-damaging subsidies made the transformation of the economy expensive and inefficient, distorting the market and burdening the budget. “In addition, they pass climate costs on to society and are unjust. Climate-damaging subsidies contradict the logic of a socio-ecological market economy. "
According to a study by the Federal Environment Agency, environmentally harmful subsidies have increased in recent years despite greater climate protection efforts.
The dismantling of tax breaks for passenger cars and agricultural diesel, for the private use of fossil fuel company cars and for agricultural vehicles as well as the commuter allowance would bring the public sector additional income in the double-digit billion range.
Lindner questioned the funding for hybrid cars with combustion engines and separately chargeable electric motors: "For example, we are spending one billion euros in subsidies for plug-in vehicles that have no reliable ecological benefit," he said.
And with a view to planned expenditure: »In any case, projects should be prioritized.
Not everything works immediately. "
No night meetings in the coalition timetable
The coalition negotiators of the SPD, Greens and FDP are going into the third day of their detailed talks in 22 working groups on individual policy areas this Friday.
The groups should work out their positions by November 10th.
The new Federal Chancellor is to be elected in the week from December 6th.
Olaf Scholz, previously SPD Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance, will then succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), who, like her ministers, will remain in office for as long as she is in charge.
"The schedule is ambitious, but a future government must be too," said Lindner.
»The St. Nicholas week is attainable.
We want to avoid night sessions with tired participants. "
muk / dpa
