BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – According to Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the fuel subsidy he is proposing is more effective than the tax cuts for fuel that have also been discussed. It can be implemented faster and stronger discounts are possible, said the FDP politician on Monday in Berlin. Citizens and traders who depend on cars should be supported very quickly. People would have to wait weeks or months longer for a fuel price brake through tax cuts because legislation in Germany and possibly also European law would have to be changed.
The subsidy for refueling can also be implemented without much bureaucracy, said Lindner. It is not intended that individual fuel receipts will be billed to the state. Rather, the state should act with the mineral companies “on the basis of the total amount of fuel”. “The crisis discount is faster, higher and less bureaucratic and can therefore make an important contribution to relief for a limited period of time,” said Lindner. At the pump, the price remains as it is now, and the discount is then shown on the fuel bill.
“The state must not leave the citizens and the economy alone with rising prices,” emphasized Lindner. There must be a new relief package. A higher one-off payment for recipients of basic security and other measures should also be examined. According to Lindner, the tank subsidy for diesel and petrol would cost 550 million euros in taxpayers’ money per month if it were reduced by ten cents. However, it is clear that ten cents and a month’s relief are not enough, and the measure will be correspondingly more expensive./tam/DP/men