As of: February 2, 2024, 8:59 a.m
By: Lars-Eric Nievelstein
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The plastic tax is scheduled to come into force from January 1, 2025.
Industry associations warn that the government does not yet have a real concept.
How expensive will the whole thing be for Germans?
Berlin – After the federal government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced a postponement of the plastic tax at the beginning of January, companies and consumers were able to breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.
The new deadline is January 1, 2025 - the federal government still needs this time to find an “efficient solution with as little bureaucracy as possible”.
But how will it all work and what costs await consumers?
Kilogram price of plastic packaging waste |
80 cents (since 2021) |
|---|---|
Tax amount from the federal government to Brussels (2022) |
1.4 billion euros |
Estimated tax per household in the plastic tax |
50 euros (GKV) |
Possible financial costs due to plastic tax at customs |
420 million euros |
The federal government does not yet have a solution for the plastic tax
A small question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group has now revealed that a month after the postponement was announced, it is still not clear what exactly the plastic tax should look like.
The federal government said that “various options” were being examined.
However, the federal government is still in the process of voting on the specific form of the levy.
This means: It is not yet clear who will ultimately impose the tax, which products it applies to and which manufacturers it should affect.
What is clear is that the underlying CO₂ tax has existed for a long time.
In 2021, the European Union (EU) set a plastic levy for its member states, which states that member states have to pay 80 cents to Brussels for every kilogram of plastic packaging waste that is not recyclable.
Plastic tax has existed since 2021 - costs run into the billions
The federal government had paid this levy itself since the year it was introduced in 2021.
In 2021 and 2022 the costs amounted to around 1.4 billion euros.
These costs should now be borne by the very companies that are responsible for putting plastic into circulation.
The federal government saves money by passing the costs on to companies.
The plastic tax is scheduled to come into force from January 1, 2025.
Industry associations warn that the government does not yet have a real concept.
How expensive will the whole thing be for Germans?
© IMAGO / Westend61
In the last few weeks, some example calculations have emerged that are intended to show how expensive it will ultimately be for Germans.
In the event that plastic manufacturers pass on the levy 1:1, the price would depend on the plastic you buy.
On average, Germans generated 38 kilograms of plastic waste per year (according to the Plastic Atlas), which is well above the EU-wide average (24 kilograms).
In this case, 30.4 euros per year would be due for a plastic tax.
50 euros per household – association warns of bureaucracy
The General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry (GKV) sees it differently.
“We assume additional costs of an average of 50 euros per household,” said Dr.
Oliver Möllenstädt, General Manager of the GKV, responded to
Ippen's
request.
Lower-income households tend to be more affected by this because they spend a higher proportion of their household income on packaged goods.
There would also be a greater risk in terms of bureaucracy.
According to the GKV, the current status is that the federal government does not want to levy the plastic tax directly on plastic producers, but rather at the level of the packaging and bottling industry and at the retail level.
“There are around 1.2 million companies in Germany, each of which has to create its own virtual warehouse (clearing account) with customs,” explained Möllenstädt.
This would also cause enormous additional costs for customs: the GKV assumes a financial outlay of over 420 million euros.
“The bureaucratic effort would be considerable.”
Lower profits at plastic manufacturers – “Pure populism”
In December, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection suggested that plastic manufacturers would simply have to reduce their profits to compensate for the new levy.
“Taxes or duties are not necessarily passed on 1:1,” said the office on X. The GDK considers this to be “pure populism”.
Firstly, the tax would not be levied on plastic manufacturers, and secondly, 1.4 billion euros would be far too high an amount.
"Furthermore, as we understand it, this would not be the purpose of a tax that is intended to 'steer' consumers in any way."
The Federal Environment Agency is currently investigating which economic instruments Germany could use to implement EU law at the national level.
This is intended to reduce the amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste.