Berlin.
Finance Minister Lindner has announced that e-fuels should be taxed more favorably than other fuels. He gets a headwind.
The FDP follows up: With the agreement on the approval of cars with combustion engines in the European Union after 2035, the dispute between Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the EU Commission seemed to be settled. But since the climate-friendly fuels – so-called e-fuels – are expected to become expensive, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has now announced that he wants to reform the taxation of motor vehicles.
The use of e-fuels should be taxed less than that of petrol or diesel. “If the fuel is climate-friendly, then the taxation of the motor vehicle tax to energy tax be adjusted,” said the FDP chairman. The Ministry of Finance will present a concept for this. The reason for Lindner’s commitment is that even after 2035 new cars with combustion engines will be registered in the EU if they are fueled with climate-neutral fuel.
Resistance to the FDP’s new tax plans
The Greens do not want to know anything about an extra sausage for e-fuel users. Traffic politician Stefan Gelbhaar instead appealed to Lindner to keep promises on climate protection. “The promised draft laws for the reduction of climate-damaging subsidies are overdue,” said the transport policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group. “The proposal for a socio-ecological conversion of the distance allowance is also the Minister of Finance still guilty. If there is some working time left in the Ministry of Finance, these points are to be completed. After all, Lindner personally promised that, ”said Gelbhaar.
The Green and his coalition colleague Dorothee Martin, spokeswoman for transport policy for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, agree in this case. Martin told our editors: “Before we get to the taxation of non-existing fuels that may play a small role at some point in the future, we should finally tackle the pressing issues.” For the transport politician, this includes “the long overdue reform of company car taxation”. She looks forward to Lindner’s suggestions.
The finance minister admitted that it would still be a while before cars could be E-Fuels will drive in the tank on German roads. His Baden-Württemberg counterpart, state finance minister Daniel Bayaz (Greens), commented jokingly on the unclear future prospects for e-fuels on Twitter: “Speaking of the future of tax law in the transport sector – do we want to charge 19 or seven percent VAT on trips to the moon in the future?” Minister of Finance Lindner However, he remained undeterred: “It will be an important planning factor for people and the economy that e-fuels are taxed more favorably than fossil fuels.”
Union transport politician Thomas Bareiß (CDU) warned against introducing the tax cut for e-fuels too early. “The switch to CO2-friendly fuels and the change in taxation must be timed,” he told our editors. “Anything else would be a unilateral tax increase.” A reform of the motor vehicle tax should not be at the expense of the people who depend on the car every day, said Bareiß.
The automotive industry welcomes the openness to technology
The Association of the Automotive Industry reacted positively to the compromise between the federal government and EU Commission. “We need all climate-friendly technologies to EU climate targets to achieve,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller.
E-Fuels are an important expansion of the possible spectrum. However, car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer fears that car manufacturers who are just after the right phase-out of fossil fuels will become insecure fuels seek. This is bad for the European car industry, “because the Chinese and Americans will increase the gap to the European industry in electric cars due to the new investment uncertainties”.
The Compromise between the Federal Government and the EU Commission ends a long stalemate. The European Parliament and EU states had actually already agreed in October that only emission-free new cars may be registered in the EU from 2035. Germany, however, insisted on using e-fuels Autos be included. The federal government At the beginning of March, at the urging of the FDP, she blocked the confirmation of the agreement by the EU states because the Commission’s commitments were not yet sufficient. In addition to Germany, other countries such as Italy, Austria and Poland were originally critical of the project.
For the implementation of the solution were noisy Wissing concrete processes and a schedule are now binding. “We want the process to be completed by fall 2024,” he said. The final vote of all 27 EU countries should now take place next Tuesday. With German approval, it is considered fairly certain that the necessary majority will be achieved.
Opinion: That’s why Wissing’s commitment to the future of the combustion engine was worth it
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