The CDU will not pick up the initiative by Schleswig‑Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther to introduce a sugar tax in Germany. According to the “Rheinische Post” (Tuesday edition), the application commission for the party congress taking place in Stuttgart on 20‑21 February has given a clear rejection to a corresponding proposal from the CDU state association in Schleswig‑Holstein.
During the commission’s deliberations it was emphasized that the CDU opposes tax increases. Günther had, a few weeks earlier, described a sugar tax as “politically and economically long overdue” arguing that excessive sugar consumption leads to significant health problems and enormous societal costs.
In its request to the national congress, Günther’s state association therefore called for a nationwide sugar tax on beverages with high sugar content, particularly soft drinks and energy drinks.