Wolfgang Kubicki, the leader of the FDP, has sharply criticized the Finance Ministry’s plans for a so-called sugar tax. Speaking to the television channel “Welt” on Tuesday, he described the proposal as a “plain and simple tax increase, representing over a 30 percent price hike.” He declared this to be a “real hammer blow,” adding that “in a phase where citizens need relief, price increases of this nature are simply unacceptable.”
Kubicki accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder of breaking their election promises. “What moves me particularly is the fact that it is again being documented that this government cannot be trusted. The promise that there would be no tax increases is being massively violated,” Kubicki stated. He emphasized that the focus was not health, but rather the generation of state income.
He stressed that the political agenda should concern relief measures, not new burdens. “We are talking about fuel price brakes-and at the same time, we are now being asked to increase the prices of staple foods by up to 30 percent,” he maintained. “This is inherently contradictory. This proposal cannot be implemented as it stands.”
Kubicki then criticized Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, accusing him of needing to “fill the coffers because he is not saving in any corner or at any end-and above all, because we are squandering money in many areas with absolutely no purpose, and now the consumers have to pay for it. I find that outrageous.” He argued that the issue was simply Klingbeil’s inability to cut costs, pointing out that the government has failed to propose a single genuine area for savings. He suggested potential areas for cuts, such as development aid or subsidy reductions.
The proposed health incentive, Kubicki contended, was a “pretextual argument.” Instead, he advocated for general public awareness. He suggested that health insurance providers could educate members about what is suitable and what is not. “And I believe we can appeal to the common sense of people,” he said. “We always act as if people must be guided by the state. If it were the case that they couldn’t make their own decisions, we would have to deny them the right to vote.” He concluded that “the state is not the guardian.”
The FDP chief warned that the tax would primarily affect “those who earn less.” He pointed out that consumers who drink cola or non-alcoholic beer would be targeted, noting that the price increases for these specific items would be massive.
Kubicki also prophesied that prices in the gastronomy sector would “increase massively,” leading to “fatal consequences” for the industry. Furthermore, he countered the assumption that the tax would bring in high revenue, explaining, “The problem is that if you raise the price in this way and contribute to a decline in consumption, the income from these items will also decrease. This means it would be merely a short-term effect.”
