Three regional prime ministers from Eastern Germany-Mario Voigt (Thuringia), Sven Schulze (Saxony-Anhalt), and Michael Kretschmer (Saxony)-all affiliated with the CDU, are calling on the federal government to immediately suspend the CO2 levy to lower gasoline prices.
Voigt told the “Bild” newspaper that this measure could reduce the cost of fuel by up to 16 cents per liter. He stated, “High fuel prices are an enormous burden for many people in our country. A temporary suspension of CO2 pricing is a necessary step to create quickly noticeable relief”. For him, the key requirement is that such measures “must be immediately effective” and that the focus should be on “what actually reaches people’s wallets”.
Süddeutsche’s regional leader, Schulze, told the “Bild” that the federal government must take action now. “High prices are burdening everywhere and must be lowered. The CO2 tax must be suspended, and then prices must be strictly monitored by the cartel office. Other proposals, such as cheap train tickets or a higher commuter allowance, do not help or do not help everyone and would not be a short-term solution” Schulze explained.
Finally, Saxony’s prime minister, Kretschmer, stated that “the CO2 levy in its current form is nothing more than an additional burden on the middle class. While commuters, tradespeople, and families have to dig deeper into their pockets every day, frustration is growing across the country. This is politically incorrect. Therefore, I say clearly: the CO2 levy must be suspended now-before climate policy becomes an issue of social division”.