Plastic packaging waste: CDU against coalition plans for a plastic tax

The Union has spoken out against the introduction of a plastic tax previously agreed with the SPD. “We are not doing the plastic tax because it would have a wrong, not only economic, but also ecological effect,” said Union parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei on ZDF on Sunday.

This means that the coalition dispute over the tax, which is intended to make plastic more expensive and plug budget holes, is entering the next round. According to a draft bill from Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD), 550 euros would be due for every ton of plastic in packaging from July 2027. This applies to packaging with a plastic content of over five percent. Companies that use plastic packaging would first have to pay the levy. It is expected that they will pass the tax on to consumers. This should help reduce plastic waste.

Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) also wants to use the tax to plug budget holes. Additional revenue from the plastic tax of 805 million euros is expected for 2027, and from 2028 it should be almost 1.5 billion euros annually. A yoghurt cup should be 0.11 cents more expensive and a margarine cup 0.99 cents more expensive. Since 2021, Germany has been paying around 1.4 billion euros annually to the EU for non-recycled plastic packaging due to the EU plastic levy.

On Monday, Environment Minister Schneider asked the Union to present alternatives for the originally planned additional revenue by Thursday. Then the so-called adjustment meeting of the budget committee takes place. There, the budget experts are putting the finishing touches to the budget for 2027, which will then be voted on in the Bundestag. Schneider emphasized the importance of the plastic tax for a solid federal budget, but also for “ecological control”.

But there is also strong criticism of the plastic tax. Business associations criticized, among other things, the bureaucratic burden, a lack of investment incentives for recycling capacities and the financial burden on poorer consumers in particular. But environmental groups are also against the tax. The BUND criticized, for example, that the recyclability of the packaging did not play a role and that the steering effect of the proposed level of taxation was unclear.

The level of the tax does not provide any incentive to switch more to recycled plastic and thus increase the demand for the so-called recyclate, criticized circular economy expert Henning Wilts in the taz at the beginning of October. Regarding the possible end of the plastic tax, he now said: “The focus was apparently on the short-term generation of tax revenue.”

This reveals a fundamental problem. The plastic tax is a consumption tax and is intended to have a steering effect. But if their goal is actually to fill budget holes, there is a conflict of objectives. As tax consultant Ralph Hormuth explains, a successful tax reduces the state's revenue from this tax. “The legislature must therefore decide transparently which objective is in the foreground and how the two functions are balanced with each other,” writes Hormuth in the expert blog of the NWB publishing house.

Even if the plastic tax in its current form would have a dubious effect, there is a lot at stake. “The pressure must be maintained,” says circulation expert Wilts. Even the plastics industry is actually clear that things cannot continue as in the past. Financial incentives are needed for circular design and the use of recyclate must be promoted. This is one of the central green markets of the future for Germany.