Consumer Federation of Germany Demands Complete Abolition of Value-Added Tax on Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Legumes
The Consumer Federation of Germany (VZBV) has called for the complete abolition of the value-added tax on fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes. “The proposal by Chancellor Scholz to reduce the value-added tax on food is a step in the right direction” said Jutta Gurkmann, Head of Consumer Policy, in an interview with the Rheinische Post. “However, it does not go far enough.”
Since 2021, food prices have risen by 34%, according to Gurkmann. Consumers urgently need financial relief. “A two percent value-added tax reduction for staple foods will be wiped out by the current monthly inflation rate of over two percent” she criticized. “To make a healthy and balanced diet possible for all consumers, the federal government must set the value-added tax on fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes to zero.”
Furthermore, Gurkmann called for a stronger review of supermarket prices. “A price monitoring agency can uncover unfair practices and protect consumers from high prices” she suggested. “Manufacturers should be required to label products with a warning note in cases of indirect price increases through misleading packaging. This is what the next federal government must implement.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had proposed reducing the value-added tax rate from seven to five percent for staple foods.