Linken’s top candidate Jan van Aken advocates for abolishing the value-added tax on daily necessities to fight against rising prices.
“He said the value-added tax on food, hygiene products, and public transportation should be reduced to zero as an immediate measure” according to the newspapers of the “New Berlin Editorial Society”. To ensure that manufacturers and retailers pass the tax cut to consumers, the reduction should be “obviously accompanied by price control”.
The proposal by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to reduce the value-added tax on food to five from the current seven percent is not enough, van Aken said. “That’s too little, but it’s going in the right direction.” The SPD, in fact, copied the idea from the Left: “Good job copying from us again.” It is unclear whether Scholz will actually implement his proposal. “I have substantial doubts about that” van Aken said.