War in the German government over gasoline prices. SPD wants to attack the giants, the minister talks about the constitution
2026-04-10 15:31
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2026-04-10 15:31
In the face of increased fuel prices, German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, representing the CDU, proposed on Friday increasing tax breaks for commuters. She spoke out against the SPD coalition's proposal to impose a windfall tax on the energy sector.
– Our response must be targeted. Funds must go to where the burden is greatest. That is, for people who commute by car to work in the logistics sector, said Reiche in Berlin.
At the same time, the head of the ministry spoke out against the proposal of the coalition Social Democrats, who came up with the idea of a tax on extraordinary profits in the energy sector. According to Reiche, such a tax would probably conflict with the German constitution. She called the SPD's idea “expensive and ineffective.”
The Social Democrats quickly reacted to Reiche's words. The deputy head of the SPD parliamentary group, Esra Limbacher, assessed that Reiche was not suitable for his position. – It is a pity that the economy minister sees herself as a representative of oil companies, instead of working with a coalition partner to bring relief to many small companies – she told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
On Thursday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz talked about ongoing talks in the coalition regarding measures that could be taken to limit the negative effects of rising fuel prices.
So far, the government has decided on one major change. Since April, gas stations in Germany can only increase prices once a day, at noon. Failure to comply with the new rules will result in fines of up to PLN 100,000. euro.
After the US and Iran announced a ceasefire in Germany, a slight downward trend in fuel prices continues. On Thursday afternoon, a liter of E10 petrol cost on average EUR 2.17 and a liter of diesel – EUR 2.40. A spokesman for the Ministry of Economy assured on Friday that Germany was not facing any shortages of oil supplies.
From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)
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