Economic expert Martin Werding rejects the surplus‑profit tax the SPD has demanded for oil companies.
“Competition among petrol stations may not work well, but that can’t be fixed with tax law” Werding told the “Rheinische Post” on Friday. “Profits are taxed in Germany, and not too stringently. Surplus profits can’t be defined cleanly, either economically or legally”.
Bremen’s state premier Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) had earlier called for a surplus‑profit tax on oil companies that are disproportionately expanding their profit margins.