Sunday, November 28th, 2021
Traffic light in a clinch
Greens against Wissing’s motor vehicle tax proposal
In order to compensate for higher diesel prices, the designated transport minister Wissing announced that he wanted to lower the vehicle tax. This causes irritation within the traffic light. The Greens emphasize: “The coalition agreement does not give it that way.”
The Greens have shown indignation at the initiative by Volker Wissing, the designated transport minister from the ranks of the FDP, to relieve diesel vehicles. “The coalition agreement does not provide that,” said Green traffic expert Stefan Gelbhaar to “Spiegel” about Wissing’s announcement that he wanted to lower the vehicle tax in order to compensate for higher diesel prices. “The coalition agreement provides for an adjustment of diesel costs to gasoline costs,” said Gelbhaar.
The FDP had agreed to this, and Wissing would also have to adhere to it, added the transport policy spokesman for the Green parliamentary group. Parliament would also have to decide on a new version of the vehicle tax. In the coalition agreement, only a test order is formulated.
The traffic light parties had agreed on a vaguely worded statement in the coalition agreement: “With the implementation of the EU Energy Tax Directive, which provides for the tax harmonization of diesel fuel and gasoline, we will review the tax treatment of diesel vehicles in the vehicle tax.”
Criticism also came from the spokesman for rail policy in the Green parliamentary group, Matthias Gastel. He wrote on Twitter on Saturday: “A future traffic light transport minister should first and foremost be an advocate for trains, buses and bicycles – and rely on future alternative, innovative drives instead of looking backwards and forgetting about the future on fossil fuels.”
Wissing had warned in the “Bild” newspaper on Saturday of additional burdens for diesel vehicles and their drivers and said: “The FDP will ensure that higher energy taxes on diesel fuels are offset by lower vehicle taxes.” Particular attention is paid to the small companies that are still dependent on diesel vehicles. Specifically, the FDP politician named delivery services and craftsmen.