Demand favorable Germany-Ticket and fewer benefits for service cars
The government presented an outline paper for an economic growth initiative at the beginning of July. According to this, for newly registered "full electric and comparable zero-emission vehicles," a special deduction is to be introduced. In addition, the cap for taxing service vehicles of E-cars is to be increased - from 70,000 Euro to 95,000 Euro. This means: If the vehicle is below this value, privately used service vehicles only need to be taxed monthly with 0.25 percent of the list price as a taxable benefit.
With this measure, the federal government would, according to the associations, "aggravate the social imbalance in service vehicle taxation" and at the same time "lose hundreds of millions of euros in tax revenue." The planned expansion would only apply to electric cars, but "milliard-scale tax advantages for gasoline cars" still exist, explained the initiative. The coalition demanded instead that the current assessment limit be maintained and the tax rates for the taxation of service vehicles with combustion engines and plug-in hybrids be increased to two percent.
Michael Müller-Görnert from the Transport Club Germany (VCD) explained: "This would create an additional incentive for electric cars, which can be financially offset within the system." With the remaining funds, sustainable mobility could be promoted.
At the same time, it is important to keep the Germany Ticket stable at 49 Euro until 2026. For this, "long-term investments are necessary," warned Christiane Averbeck, managing director of the Climate Alliance Germany. However, no additional money is currently planned in the budget for the Germany Ticket.
Greenpeace sharply criticized the plans: "This would be a traffic policy from the asphalt eighties," declared Martin Kaiser, managing director of Greenpeace Germany, harmful for the climate and "at the same time blatantly unfair." Averbeck from the Climate Alliance added: "Without further financial resources from the federal government for personnel, buses, trains, and the Germany Ticket, people will still be heavily reliant on cars beyond 2030."
Besides the named organizations, the Auto Club Europa (ACE) and the Social Union Germany, as well as seven other associations, signed the appeal. The federal cabinet will deal with the budget for the coming year and the growth initiative on Wednesday.
The Greens called for a "clear signal from politics and industry" on the Germany Ticket to increase the number of users. Necessary is the establishment of a Coordination Office for Public Transport, "in which all parties intensively work to significantly increase usage numbers," explained the Green transport politician Stefan Gelbhaar about the initiative of the associations.
- The Climate Alliance Germany, led by Christiane Averbeck, advocated for maintaining the current assessment limit for service vehicle taxation to prevent aggravating social imbalances and losing tax revenue.
- The Government's Growth Initiative proposes a special deduction for newly registered full electric and comparable zero-emission vehicles, which includes service vehicles.
- Greenpeace strongly criticized the plans, labeling them as harmful for the climate and blatantly unfair, echoing Averbeck's concern about heavy reliance on cars beyond 2030.
- The special deduction and tax cap increase for electric vehicles proposed by the federal government would create additional incentives, according to Michael Müller-Görnert from the Transport Club Germany (VCD).
- The remaining funds from the tax incentives could be used to promote sustainable mobility, as suggested by Müller-Görnert.
- Besides the Transport Club Germany, seven other associations, along with the Auto Club Europa and the Social Union Germany, signed an appeal against the proposed changes in service vehicle taxation.
- To maintain the Germany Ticket at 49 Euro until 2026, long-term investments are necessary, Steve Gelbhaar, a Green transport politician, emphasized, while also emphasizing the need for a Coordination Office for Public Transport to increase usage numbers.
