CSU boss Söder calls for relief from fuel prices
In view of rising gasoline and diesel costs, Markus Söder is calling for the federal government to take measures to curb prices.
Quick Look
- CSU boss Markus Söder is calling on the federal government to take measures to reduce high fuel prices.
- He suggests that additional government revenue be returned to citizens through price increases in order to keep everyday life affordable.
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Why It Matters
The federal government introduced a refueling discount in the spring that reduced energy taxes for two months.
In view of the drastically increased fuel prices, CSU boss Markus Söder is calling for new relief measures. The federal government urgently needs to sit down and talk about how the extremely high gasoline and diesel prices can be reduced and made bearable, said Söder after a closed meeting of the CSU board in Munich. “We have to think about how we can return money and reduce prices so that everyday life for Germans is still justifiable and bearable.”
Söder did not say how and how much the prices should be reduced. “There are tons of possibilities. Which ones you have to see at the end, even at heights.” But Söder emphasized: “As Germans, we have some of the highest tax burdens, levies and prices for energy in the whole of Europe. That's why we actually have the scope to make a balance there. The government has to think about how.” The CSU leader added that he also had nothing against considering an excess profits tax.
At a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, Söder said that Austria would give back what the state earned more from the increased prices. “We should also consider something similar. “It can’t be the case that we end up benefiting from the high fuel prices,” he argued.
Söder warned: “There is a risk that prices will continue to rise in Germany too.” The situation in the Middle East is confusing. That's why we have to act now. The federal government has already succeeded in doing this once.
Among other things, the black-red coalition, of which the CSU is also a member, decided on a fuel discount in the spring: the energy tax rates for gasoline and diesel were then temporarily reduced for two months.
Over the weekend, the price of premium E10 gasoline rose to a new record high. The nationwide daily average on Sunday cost a liter of 2,273 euros, as the ADAC announced on Monday. That was 1.7 cents more than on Friday. Diesel even increased by 3.5 cents. A liter cost an average of 2.404 euros a day on Sunday, only 4.3 cents away from its record from April.
Open Questions
- What specific relief measures is the government planning?
- How much financial scope is there for an excess profits tax?
