In the face of rising fruit prices, the leader of the Left party, Jan van Aken, is calling for effective price controls and the immediate abolition of the value-added tax on staple food items. “Fruit prices for apples, pears and bananas have increased by more than five percent in the past year and that is significantly above the inflation rate” he said on Tuesday. As a result, it will become even harder for many people to “eat healthily and well” he lamented.
“The supermarket chains claim that the purchase prices have increased and that they are simply passing on the higher costs. But since there is no price control in Germany, we have to believe the corporations and can’t verify whether that’s true or if we’re being taken for a ride” the Left party leader criticized.
“I can’t understand why the SPD and the Greens are just standing by, watching as the prices for healthy food items continue to rise. We need a price control that actually works. If Aldi, Lidl and the like increase prices much more strongly than the costs have risen, there should be a authority that intervenes and forces the corporations to lower their prices” he demanded.
“Already, Lidl’s founder Dieter Schwarz is the richest German. Let’s make sure he doesn’t get even richer at our expense” van Aken demanded. Moreover, the value-added tax on staple food items must go. “The state should not profit from the basic needs of the people. That way, we ensure that the refrigerators in every household in Germany are well-stocked” the Left party leader said.