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"Power cuts are to be feared": Lindner urges Habeck to take two measures

2022-09-17T02:55:50.912Z


"Power cuts are to be feared": Lindner urges Habeck to take two measures Created: 09/17/2022, 04:46 By: Christian Deutschländer, Georg Anastasiadis FDP leader Christian Lindner wants to adjust tax rates to inflation. The finance minister in an interview with Merkur about relief, blackouts and fracking. Munich/Berlin – squabbles in the coalition: the three traffic light partners are arguing abo


"Power cuts are to be feared": Lindner urges Habeck to take two measures

Created: 09/17/2022, 04:46

By: Christian Deutschländer, Georg Anastasiadis

FDP leader Christian Lindner wants to adjust tax rates to inflation.

The finance minister in an interview with Merkur about relief, blackouts and fracking.

Munich/Berlin – squabbles in the coalition: the three traffic light partners are arguing about the Ukraine course, about nuclear power, about further relief.

Christian Lindner, as finance minister and FDP chairman one of the central figures in the federal government, makes his position clear in an interview with the

Munich

newspaper

IPPEN.MEDIA

.

We met with the 43-year-old via video conference on Monday (September 12).

They say dark inner cities and nuclear shutdowns don't go together.

So far, however, your green coalition partner has shown no inclination to move away from Habeck's plan to mothball the nuclear power plants for reserve operation.

Do you put up with that?

Christian Lindner: We are discussing this within the federal government.

We can see that people and businesses are groaning under the electricity prices.

Power outages are to be feared.

I strongly advise that we secure all capacities.

So all coal-fired power plants from the reserve have to be back on the grid as quickly as possible.

We should also use the three safe and climate-friendly nuclear power plants until 2024.

Shouldn't the Chancellor finally intervene?

Lindner: The responsible minister is Robert Habeck.

In the end, he has to be responsible for decisions.

It would be difficult for me to understand if, on the one hand, we were talking about billions in aid for households and the economy, but, on the other hand, we weren't exhausting every opportunity to limit the increase in energy costs.

In the medium term, of course, this includes above all the consistent expansion of renewable energies.

For example, I want to make solar energy even more attractive through extended tax exemption.

But none of this will help us in the short term.

Can it be that the coalition knowingly moves a new nuclear power plant extension behind the Lower Saxony election?

Lindner: No.

There are no agreements there.

On the contrary: I advise us to be clear as soon as possible.

Christian Lindner (l.) advises cabinet colleague Robert Habeck to initially rely on coal and nuclear power plants again.

© Michael Kappeler/dpa

Lindner on Söder support for the continuation of the tank discount: "It can change for him tomorrow"

BDI boss Russwurm says: Down with the taxes on energy, that helps the companies more than the help promised by Habeck.

Why let companies go bankrupt first and then save them?

Lindner: We decided to put a brake on electricity prices.

This will directly relieve citizens and companies.

For example, it is intended to reduce network charges by billions.

I support the Economics Minister in these plans.

I am reluctant to change taxes.

Otherwise, I often hear in the debate that people are warning about lowering consumption taxes.

Also from the BDI.

We should preferably respond to inflation with targeted, direct aid.

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It has just become known: nowhere else in the EU are fuel prices more expensive than here, which is mainly due to the high taxes.

Does the state stuff its pockets full in times of need?

Lindner: He shouldn't.

That's why I campaigned for the limited tank discount.

It worked and relieved commuters and drivers.

We left about as much money with the people as we would otherwise have earned from taxes on increased fuel prices.

However, there was no support for a continuation of the tank discount.

Well, from Söder...

Lindner: That can change for him tomorrow.

Unfortunately, even the ADAC was against the tank discount.

That is why we are now relying on other relief measures.

About IPPEN.MEDIA

The IPPEN.MEDIA network is one of the largest online publishers in Germany.

At the locations in Berlin, Hamburg/Bremen, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Vienna, journalists from our central editorial office research and publish for more than 50 news offers.

These include brands such as Merkur.de, FR.de and BuzzFeed Germany.

Our news, interviews, analyzes and comments reach more than 5 million people in Germany every day.

Energy crisis in Germany – is the gas price cap coming?

Lindner: "I welcome everything that brings gas prices down"

Many of our readers are stunned by their new gas bill.

Is a gas price cap possible in Germany?

Lindner: I welcome everything that brings gas prices down.

This will succeed if we buy a lot of liquefied gas from the world market by 2023 at the latest and if we bring gas from the storage facilities filled by the state onto the market.

We are talking about a gas price cap at EU level.

But it will be extremely demanding.

Unlike electricity, the price of gas arises on the world market.

In addition to nuclear, fracking could also help against the bottleneck in the long term.

Why is the traffic light hesitating?

Lindner: That's not the fault of the FDP.

It was said that the local deposits were not needed, that was not economical.

I have the impression that some are rethinking.

We should be open to fracking where it is geologically responsible and there is no risk to groundwater.

We will need gas and oil until the 1930s.

I advise us not to be too picky.

The cabinet will soon decide on citizen income.

Critics say it is too high and undermines the incentive to work for low earners.

how bad is your stomach ache

Lindner: I don't have a stomach ache.

This is a major project that we have fought for for a long time.

The new citizens' income is based on qualifications and strengthens work incentives through better opportunities for additional income.

We did not pursue the left-of-centre ideas of waiving sanctions for breaches of duty.

Don't be fooled by the visually increased rule rate - this is nothing more than a fair adjustment for inflation.

Just like we intend to do with cold progression.

Oh, does the automatism for citizen income – always adjusted to inflation every year – then also apply to cold progression in the future?

Lindner: Unfortunately not.

We have to go there.

The opposition to combating cold progression got me thinking.

That was fought against enormously and denounced as a program for the rich.

I think, however, that tax increases should not be the result of inaction.

If 40,000 euros from this year only have purchasing power of 36,000 euros in the coming year, it should not be taxed as if it were 40,000.

Like many European countries, we therefore need a tax rate on wheels that is automatically adjusted to inflation.

We should regulate that by law.

So far, this has not been possible with the Union, SPD and Greens, but maybe that will change.

Here Christian Lindner (FDP) and his Franca say yes

View photo gallery

More tank deliveries to Ukraine?

Lindner: "We have to check whether we can do more"

In Ukraine, the tide of war seems to be turning in favor of the defenders.

Should Berlin deliver more weapons now?

Lindner: Germany is doing a lot.

Military we have specialized in the field of artillery.

Every day we have to check if we can do more.

There are still two criteria: always coordinated with our allies, especially the USA;

and we must never compromise our ability to defend our alliance and our country.

But what now – supply tanks or not?

Lindner: I said what I can say publicly as a member of the Federal Security Council.

The Liberals in Upper Bavaria have just received prominent reinforcements.

The daughter of the longtime CSU boss Seehofer wants to be in the state parliament for the FDP.

Is something like that perceived in the party leadership in Berlin?

Lindner: Of course.

Having a qualified and independently thinking personality like Ms. Seehofer with us motivates us for the state elections.

Interview: Georg Anastasiadis and Christian Deutschländer

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-09-17

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