German Crafts Association Leader Calls for Permanent Relief on Fuel Taxes

Looking ahead to the fuel discount expiring at the end of the year, trades association president Jörg Dittrich has called on the federal government to sustainably adjust its taxes and levies on petrol.

"The state could permanently refrain from generating unwarranted additional revenue," said the president of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) to the Funke-Mediengruppe. The state accuses oil corporations of making high profits, while at the same time not mentioning how high its own revenues are from collected taxes. Correspondingly, Dittrich is also critical of the term fuel discount: "It is not a discount; the state is simply passing on its substantial additional revenues through this mechanism."

However, for the skilled trades, high gasoline prices are only the "tip of the iceberg." High energy costs are a major problem. "We are talking about price increases of up to 70 percent for thermal insulation or bitumen paving products. This cannot simply be passed on; eventually, customers won't accept it because they feel they are being ripped off," said Dittrich. Often, the money does not end up with the tradesperson. "I do not know any tradespeople who opened a second bank account because the first one is full."