At the farmers’ protests, onlookers – or annoyed drivers – mainly see tractors. But next to the agricultural machinery there are often trucks or small vans adorned with the obligatory protest posters. Because many freight forwarders and craftsmen support the farmers’ actions. These medium-sized companies and their association representatives are also angry about some of the traffic light government’s plans. Or they feel and their work is not really valued.
The collaboration with the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Disposal (BGL) is clearest. The lobby group from Frankfurt calls for the week of action together with the German Farmers’ Association; The freight forwarders’ organization is a kind of co-organizer of the protests.
For the farmers, the reason for the demonstrations is that a tax break for the diesel that fuels agricultural machinery is being abolished. This is about an average of 2,900 euros in relief per farm and year. The freight forwarders, however, are upset that the truck toll was increased in December. The federal government has introduced a surcharge based on how much climate-damaging carbon dioxide the trucks emit. This should provide incentives to switch to more climate-friendly models.
But the BGL association complains the regulation doubles the toll almost and causes annual costs of 7.6 billion euros. Lobby boss Dirk Engelhardt therefore judges ungraciously that the traffic light coalition has “become a burden for the whole of Germany”. In its protest call, the organization is also calling for more government investment in truck parking spaces and in the repair of bridges and roads; “Reliable funding programs” for switching to climate-friendly trucks are also on the wish list.
The accusation: Help for the big corporations, trouble for the small ones
Representatives of craft associations also declare their solidarity with the farmers. The President of the Brandenburg Chamber of Crafts, Robert Wüst, says that many member companies are “disappointed by the federal government’s current policy: crafts and medium-sized businesses deserve more appreciation and support.” Norbert Band, state guild master of the Sanitary, Heating, Plumbing and Air Conditioning Association in Brandenburg, told the daily newspaper taz, we stand “side by side” with the farmers. He complained that the federal government’s heating law had caused a lot of uncertainty. The Brandenburg SME Initiative also held events in the city of Cottbus a star trip for dissatisfied entrepreneurs.
The Federal Taxi and Rental Car Association occupies an interesting intermediate position. The Berlin lobby group explains, she has “great understanding of the economic policy demands” of freight forwarders and farmers. It is said that taxi and rental car companies also suffered – for example from higher fuel prices. Finally, the traffic light coalition increased the carbon dioxide price for gasoline and diesel at the turn of the year. This is a tax for releasing climate-damaging CO₂ when burned. The angry conclusion: “While the federal government is planning relief for large, energy-intensive industries, additional burdens are being imposed on medium-sized companies in many other sectors.” The taxi organization also complains in its statement that politicians are not taking tough enough action against the “obvious distortion of competition” caused by online platforms such as Uber and Bolt.
Nevertheless, the association does not call for participation in the farmers’ protests, but rather threatens its own actions if the government does not move. Because: “Our taxis and rental cars don’t have to fight in the third row behind tractors and trucks.”