Is the tank discount coming?
Lindner wants to make refueling cheaper again
03/13/2022 9:29 p.m
The war in Ukraine is currently driving fuel prices to unprecedented heights. In just one week, the price of diesel has increased by more than 30 cents. According to a media report, Finance Minister Lindner wants to stop the record hunt at the petrol pumps soon.
According to a media report, Germany is planning concrete help for motorists in view of the sharp rise in petrol prices. Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner wants to relieve car and truck drivers noticeably with a discount on the price of petrol, the “Bild” newspaper reported, citing government circles. A fixed price reduction should be introduced “immediately” in order to reduce motorists’ expenses per liter of fuel to less than two euros.
The exact amount of the discount is still open. It could be 20 cents per liter, but possibly even more. The federal government has so far shown reluctance to take measures to reduce the price of petrol and referred to a relief package that has already been decided. Specifically, drivers should receive the discount when paying at the gas station, the newspaper reported. The gas station operators would then be reimbursed by the federal government for the amount of the discount.
In the “Tagesspiegel” Lindner had recently rejected a temporary reduction in VAT from 19 to seven percent for petrol and diesel. “If the Union calls for a so-called fuel price brake, then they have to say what they want to cut in the budget,” he told the newspaper. “Or they have to admit that they are willing to take on new debts.”
Lindner brings further oil and gas production in the North Sea into play
Contrary to the assumption of many, the Treasury will not get rich from the rising fuel prices, Lindner told the “Tagesspiegel”. “If a higher proportion of a household’s disposable income is spent on fuel, there will be a shift in VAT, but not an increase in revenue. People then hold back on consumption elsewhere.”
Lindner also spoke out against a general ban on imports of Russian gas and oil. “Our priority must be to put maximum pressure on Russia and at the same time maintain our strategic staying power for a very long time. That’s why we shouldn’t question the energy supply unnecessarily,” stressed the finance minister. In order to reduce dependence on Russian energy imports, Lindner proposed a review of the coalition agreement. So far, this has provided for a ban on new oil and gas drilling in the North and Baltic Seas. “We have to question the coalition agreement’s decision not to continue mining oil and gas in the North Sea,” said the FDP leader.