Federal government decides on fuel discount: It has done it again

epd | The way is clear for another fuel discount due to the high fuel prices. The Federal Council approved a law passed by the Bundestag in Parliament for a new fuel discount of around 17 cents per liter. In a roll-call vote on Friday in Berlin, a total of 434 of 562 members of the Bundestag voted in favor and 128 against. The law was urgently submitted to the Federal Council for a vote so that the discount can come into force from October 1st. He has now agreed.

The SPD parliamentary group deputy Armand Zorn spoke of a “tough discussion” in the parliamentary debate. However, the decision for a fuel discount will immediately have a relief effect in people's everyday lives in view of the massive increase in prices for diesel and gasoline. The CDU/CSU referred to studies according to which a previous fuel discount was largely passed on to consumers. Clear criticism came from the opposition from the Greens, the Left and the AfD.

Several environmental and social associations had previously critically assessed the reduction in fuel consumption. Economic expert Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research described the fuel discount as the wrong answer to high energy prices: It is not targeted, expensive and does not offer any incentives to save fuel. The measure subsidizes fossil dependencies and is a “step in the wrong direction” for climate protection, said Kemfert.

According to the plans, from October to the end of 2026, the energy tax on gasoline and diesel will fall again by around 14 cents per liter. Including sales tax, the tax relief for fuel amounts to 17 cents per liter. A fuel price cap should also be introduced by January 1, 2027 at the latest in order to limit large price increases. The federal and state governments had already implemented a fuel discount of the same amount in May and June in view of the high fuel prices resulting from the Iran war.