It may be one of the first big successes of the new youth movement that’s been going on for months, for more climate protection on the road and a far-reaching change in the system: in Germany, the climate gets harmful carbon dioxide-probably soon with a price tag. Especially for Heating, driving and flying are likely to be considerably more expensive.
Angela Merkel , the Christian Democrats had resisted over the years, with hands and feet against a CO2 tax. To raise for the climate a new tax, which should meet in the car country Germany the motorists, of all things, especially, seemed to be the CDU and the CSU long as a recipe for political suicide.
time is of The essence
But times have changed. Friday for Friday demonstrates the youth against the climate policy of Merkel’s government, the Greens have doubled their vote share in the last year and are already the second strongest party. At the same time, payments in the billions threaten from 2020 criminal, should Germany meet its CO2 reduction obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
As often before the large turns, Merkel has begun in little-noticed comments, public and private stock on the new policy tune. In the climate policy hard decisions ahead”,” she said recently, ominously, in transport policy, even “radical changes”. Behind the Scenes, the Chancellor has commissioned a long-experts to develop models for a comprehensive CO2 tax.
And Merkel’s party. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new CDU-Chairman, talked recently more and more often, the CO2 emissions should, in the future, “will be” priced: either by extending the emission trading for industrial and power plants, other industries, or by taxed directly to the consumer. Dean Wolfgang Schäuble called for Tempo, you should not apply again ten years of discussions.
Concrete model after the summer holidays
scientists, Economists, business associations and politicians, the CO2-tax, have been demanding for a long time: The market economic Instrument is to make the state’s climate plan economy to a great extent superfluous. Self-CDU Economics Minister, Peter Altmaier, the loss of a CO2 tax, initially, categorically, to think in Merkel’s behest. As the new Swiss energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga visited him recently in Berlin, he wanted to know from her anyway, exactly how the heater fuels limited incentive tax in Switzerland works.
Svenja Schulze, the social democratic Minister of the environment, grabbed the opportunity this week at the forelock, and presented in the “mirror” their plans for a CO2 tax. It had commissioned three research institutes to produce a CO2-tax, which protect the climate, but social fair. As a possible entry-level price, Schulze called 20 euros per Tonne, but prices then are expected to increase from year to year. As in Switzerland, the revenues from the tax are to be paid to the citizens in the Form of a capitation fee. Medium-sized and small income as well as families could be relieved, while people with high income, large houses, heavy cars, and many air travel would be a greater burden. Schulze expects that the Merkel used “climate Cabinet” to propose already after the summer holidays, a concrete model.
Strict than Switzerland
Christian and social Democrats want to avoid that a new CO2 tax to trigger a protest movement in France. The yellow vests were initially gone, mainly due to the increase in the CO2 tax on the road. President Emmanuel Macron was forced to Plan to abandon, at least for the current year.
The former SPD leader and economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has in the “daily mirror” explained, how Germany can avoid France’s failure. To renovate instead of using the billions from the tax the state finances, such as Macron, had to give the money to the citizens. Not like Switzerland, only 70 percent, but 100 percent. And issue even better than Christmas time each year, a climate check, it would be to pay off the bounty right at the beginning of the year, in advance. As financial politicians or Ministers would not even have the idea, anything to divert and it was so worth supporting climate protection projects.
Merkel, who had led in 1995, when Helmut Kohl’s Minister of the environment, the first world climate conference in Berlin a success, has long been regarded as a climate pioneer. This reputation has been lost for a long time. The self-imposed reduction targets for 2020, Germany missed out. The overdue change in the system to the CO2 tax opens Merkel the Chance to save your legacy as a climate-Chancellor at least halfway.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 25.04.2019, 19:04 PM
