Electricity tax cut: Anke Rehlinger accuses Friedrich Merz of making “empty promises”.

Was the reduction in electricity tax promised by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) just lip service? At least that's what Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) accuses him of. "Reducing the electricity tax for everyone is a good way to provide direct relief." As long as there is no financing solution, the Chancellor's announcement is "an empty promise," criticized the SPD politician in the "Rheinische Post".

At the CSU party conference at the weekend, Merz expressed confidence that the electricity tax can be reduced next year. “If it works, and I think it does, then the electricity tax will have to come down next year,” he told the delegates.

In their coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD agreed to reduce electricity taxes for everyone to the European minimum as quickly as possible. So far, however, the federal government has only reduced electricity taxes for industry, agriculture and forestry, not for private households and other companies.

Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) sees no new scope for relief despite forecast higher tax revenues in the coming year.

Pressure on the federal government is growing

The federal states have nevertheless called on the federal government to quickly implement relief for citizens. The Prime Minister's Conference (MPK) in Berlin called for a rapid reduction in electricity tax for everyone and called for an early proposal for the announced fuel price cap.

It is the overall responsibility of the federal government “whether financing can be found,” said Rehlinger. With regard to the high fuel and diesel prices, the Saarland Prime Minister added: "It would help a lot if the federal government vigorously implemented what was agreed on fuel prices, especially the fuel price cap based on the Luxembourg model." In her words, the fuel discount should also be financed "by skimming off the billions in profits of the oil companies."