Call for relief
Transport industry alarmed: Politicians must act quickly with record fuel prices
The price display for a petrol station on the A7 motorway in the Hildesheim district shows, among other things, a price of 1.829 euros for a liter of diesel and 1.969 euros for a liter of petrol
© Julian Stratenschulte / DPA
In view of the rising fuel prices, trade unions and the taxpayers’ association are concerned. You are demanding relief for companies and consumers – the high fuel costs are already making themselves felt.
Because of the record prices for refueling, the transport industry in Lower Saxony is demanding that politicians take quick steps to relieve the burden on companies and consumers. Freight traffic in the country is groaning more and more, especially under the high diesel costs, said Christian Richter from the General Association of Transport Industry Lower Saxony (GVN) on Wednesday the NDR.
He spoke out in favor of countermeasures such as capping the price at a maximum of two euros per liter or offsetting the truck toll. The increased transport costs locally mean that deliveries to retailers, for example, only arrive with a delay. Another option could be to temporarily suspend the next increase in the CO2 tax, suggested the association.
Taxpayers’ Association calls for consumer relief
The taxpayers’ association also wants relief soon. For example, the commuter allowance could be increased from 35 to 40 cents per kilometer so that consumers can get at least part of the additional expenses back, said Lower Saxony state chief Bernhard Zentgraf. Consumer vouchers or tax refunds are also conceivable. Most recently, State Economics and Transport Minister Bernd Althusmann (CDU) had asked federal politics to increase the commuter allowance, especially in rural regions there are hardly any alternatives to cars with combustion engines.
According to data from the ADAC, drivers in Bremen currently have to pay a lot when refueling. In a ranking on Tuesday, the smallest federal state was the most expensive for both gasoline and diesel. However, the information was not based on the daily average, but on an intermediate result in the morning.