Citing high fuel prices, Dennis Radtke, the head of the CDU Labour Wing, criticized the crisis management of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). Speaking to the news magazine Focus, Radtke stated, “People are already feeling the impact of the Iran crisis in their wallets”. He added that Klingbeil needs to put forth concrete proposals that can also be quickly implemented with the CDU/CSU Union.
The European politician cautioned against considering an “excess profit tax”. He suggested that while abstract discussions about a continent-wide excess profit tax are fine for the next SPD national congress, the measure would not achieve much in reality. Radtke urged that what is needed now are measures that are “quick and directly impact household budgets”. Specifically, he called for a mobility premium and a price cap on fuel. He pressed Lars Klingbeil to rapidly develop proposals for how these measures could be implemented.
Finally, Radtke pointed out that half of the population has no savings. He concluded by noting that there were times when SPD chairpersons implemented policies that took this reality into account.