German Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil’s Budget Plan Draws Criticism from NRW Premier Hendrik Wüst
In a recent interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, NRW Premier Hendrik Wüst of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) expressed his discontent with the budget planning of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who failed to include a general reduction of the electricity tax in his plan. Wüst warned that Klingbeil’s approach could lead to a “break of the coalition agreement.”
According to Wüst, the reduction of the electricity tax for all was already agreed upon as a crucial step towards increasing competitiveness and alleviating the burden on the German location. He criticized Klingbeil’s plans for the federal budgets of 2025 and 2026, stating that they not only harm the manufacturing, trade and service sectors, but also millions of families in Germany, who are in dire need of a tangible relief from the excessively high electricity prices.
Wüst referred to the reduction of the electricity tax as one of the most important economic policy promises made during the federal election campaign and emphasized that it was explicitly decided upon in the coalition agreement. He cautioned Klingbeil, warning that he should not cause a breach of the coalition agreement at this crucial point, considering the high expectations of the German public towards the new federal government.