The chairwoman of the Left Party’s parliamentary group, Heidi Reichinnek, welcomed the proposal to abolish value‑added tax (VAT) on basic food items that was tabled by Union faction leader Jens Spahn (CDU). “I’m pleased that the Union is finally picking up the Left’s suggestion to remove VAT from staple foods” Reichinnek told “Die Welt”. She argued that this relief for the ordinary citizen is overdue and signals that politics is standing with the people. At the same time, she lambasted the government’s idea of raising VAT on other goods and services to fund the measure. “The notion of financing relief for the majority by burdening the majority is utterly absurd. It would not only be a zero‑sum game but would drive up costs for most people, as the majority of goods and services fall under the regular tax rate”.
Criticism of a potential VAT reform also came from the Greens. Deputy floor chair Andreas Audretsch told “Die Welt”: “We need lower prices, not higher. It’s madness that in the coalition, amid an oil‑price crisis, a VAT hike is seriously being considered to further stoke inflation. Jens Spahn’s inability to rule it out outright shows how little he understands or takes the situation seriously”.