Germany's coalition clashes over plastics tax as SPD accuses conservatives of stalling
Chancellor Merz's conservatives have rejected a draft plastics tax. SPD deputy leader Wiebke Esdar demanded movement, saying the budget must be settled within weeks.
Symbolic image · Photo: Ka23 13 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A dispute over a planned plastics tax is deepening inside Germany's governing coalition. Wiebke Esdar, deputy leader of the Social Democrats' parliamentary group, told the German Press Agency she expected "more than constant new refusals" from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, adding that it could not keep making new, costly demands.
Conservative parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei had told broadcaster Welt TV that the current draft was "certainly not acceptable" in its present form, arguing that the cost and effort for tax authorities and businesses were out of proportion to the benefit. Esdar countered that the federal budget must be finalized within weeks.
Under a preliminary draft, a levy of 550 euros per tonne of plastic used in packaging would apply from July 2027, aiming to cut plastic waste. At the same time, the conservatives are pushing for a lower electricity tax for households, higher parental allowance and relief from bracket creep, all of which weigh on the budget.