2023-09-21 18:57:16
Is VAT on food in restaurants increasing again? Not a good idea, says celebrity chef Tim Mälzer. There could still be movement in the coalition.
Berlin/Hamburg.
The opposition in the Bundestag has warned of price increases in pubs and restaurants as well as for gas customers. The background to this is the federal government’s plans to phase out tax breaks.
Left-wing MP Christian Görke spoke of tax increases worth billions and a “price shock” during a debate in the Bundestag on Thursday. He accused the traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP of social coldness. CDU MP Olav Gutting criticized the government for wanting to burden people even further despite high inflation.
Discharges in the Corona crisis
Food taken away, in the supermarket or delivered is taxed at seven percent. In order to relieve the industry during the Corona crisis, the tax refund for restaurant meals was also reduced from 19 to seven percent. The regulation has been extended several times due to the energy crisis, most recently until the end of this year. An extension is currently being discussed in the coalition.
On the other hand, it’s about this: Because of the suddenly extremely high prices after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the federal government gave gas and district heating tax breaks last year. Originally, the lower VAT rate of 7 instead of 19 percent was supposed to apply until March 2024.
VAT rate and price controls
Now, according to Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), the relief measure is set to expire at the turn of the year. “The crisis-related price peaks on the gas markets have now subsided,” explained the ministry. In addition, “leeway for public budgets” would be created. In the “Rheinische Post” Lindner spoke out in favor of raising the VAT on natural gas again at the beginning of the year, but also advocated extending the energy price brakes until the end of April 2024.
An earlier increase in the VAT rate could also be tolerated by private households and businesses if, on the other hand, they were further relieved by extending the energy price brakes. “Since the federal government’s common view is that the price brakes should continue to exist, private households and businesses still have protection against ruinous price peaks,” said Lindner.
The extension of the energy price brakes until spring 2024 had previously been called for by Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). Raising the VAT rate on gas by three months would generate additional revenue that would also benefit the states, said FDP leader Lindner. As a result, the federal states received more than one billion euros in additional revenue in 2024.
Motion from the Left Group
In a motion, the Left parliamentary group is calling for tax increases on gas, district heating and in the catering industry to be stopped. The SPD financial politician Tim Klüssendorf said: “I also don’t believe that it is the most sensible way to withdraw promised tax support during a heating period.” The SPD will still make decisions on this in the budget deliberations, as well as on the question of sales tax reductions in the catering industry.
The FDP politician Till Mansmann said that the Liberals are in favor of an extension and permanent extension of the reduced VAT rate on food in restaurants. However, we have to wait for the new tax estimate, so a decision cannot be made until November.
Application from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group
Late on Thursday afternoon, the Bundestag was still voting on a motion from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group to permanently tax the consumption of food in restaurants at the reduced sales tax rate of seven percent.
The German Hotel and Restaurant Association had already warned of more than 12,000 business closures, price increases of more than 15 percent, falling sales and fewer jobs if the previous VAT rate were to return.
Tim Mälzer: “That’s incomprehensible to me”
The Hamburg star chef Tim Mälzer also called for the reduced VAT for food in restaurants to be maintained. “Why should a meal that I eat with pleasure and sit down service in a pleasant atmosphere be taxed at 19 percent and what I buy quickly in an aluminum box to go or take away from home at 7 percent?” said the 52-year-old to the German Press Agency. “That’s incomprehensible to me, I don’t understand it.”
This is not a subsidy for Corona failures, “but it would simply be an intelligent decision, because in my opinion the regulation with a uniform tax rate would be fair for both sides – for the catering industry and the consumers. That is our right, quite simply.” Mälzer started on television in 2003 with his cooking show “It doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t exist.” (dpa)
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