Government - Kretschmann defends traffic lights: "They're not just arguing"
Minister President Winfried Kretschmann has defended the coalition government against criticism. A government of three parties is simply more difficult, said the Green politician on Tuesday in Stuttgart. "There are parties together that in principle did not want to form a coalition." It must be assumed that this will become the rule and that "calm government" will no longer take place. "We may have to get used to these sensitivities a little."
The traffic light system is better than its reputation, if you look at its record. The federal government has mastered major challenges. "They're doing something, they're not just arguing." They had had to reorganize the budget in a very short space of time, and it was somehow self-evident that this could not run smoothly.
"Why isn't anyone talking about the Chancellor?"
Kretschmann finds it "not right" that much of the criticism of the budget decisions is directed at Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck. The decisions had been negotiated between the three partners in the coalition government. "Why is nobody talking about the Federal Chancellor and the Finance Minister? He is primarily responsible for a proper budget," said Kretschmann. The fact that the coalition government had got into this situation was initially the responsibility of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and not Robert Habeck.
However, Kretschmann criticized the federal government's specific plans. Kretschmann said that he could well understand the farmers' anger at the cuts in agricultural diesel and vehicle tax. "Agriculture is being disproportionately burdened in an area where it cannot avoid." There are no battery tractors that farmers could use to work their fields instead, he said. He is in talks with the Federal Minister of Agriculture and the Federal Minister of Finance to find other solutions. Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) had also criticized the cuts.
Up to now, farms have been able to receive a partial refund of the energy tax on diesel. In addition, agricultural and forestry vehicles are exempt from vehicle tax. The traffic light government wants this to be abolished in future.
Kretschmann defended subsidies for farmers. "If we didn't do this, we might have to spend twice as much on our food as we do now," said Kretschmann.
Sudden end to e-car funding "incomprehensible"
Kretschmann is also unable to understand the sudden end to subsidies for e-cars. "I can't understand why it was done so abruptly," he said. In principle, however, it was right to abolish the subsidy. "It is of course clear that there can be no permanent subsidy for cars," said Kretschmann.
The Federal Ministry of Economics announced the abrupt end of state subsidies for the purchase of electric cars at the weekend. As of the end of Sunday, no new applications for the environmental bonus could be submitted to the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (Bafa), as the ministry announced on Saturday. Grants that have already been approved are not affected and will be paid. Applications received by Bafa up to and including December 17, 2023 will continue to be processed in the order in which they are received. Anyone who has already bought a car but has not yet applied for a subsidy will be left empty-handed.
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Source: www.stern.de
