Despite earlier reports of major friction within the coalition over the planned sugar tax, the federal government plans to push the initiative forward. Sebastian Hille, the deputy government spokesman, stated on Friday that there is only a need for coordination between the Chancellor’s Office and the Federal Finance Ministry.
Hille clarified that the introduction of the tax itself is not in question; only the specific design and structure of the measure is being debated. When asked about the precise sticking points, he declined to comment, adding that doing so would compromise internal administrative discussions.
The Federal Finance Ministry has also expressed general confidence that an agreement on the sugar tax will be reached quickly, although a spokesman did not provide a concrete timeline for the resolution.
The previous reports had suggested a severe conflict, alleging that the Chancellor’s Office had deemed the draft presented by the Finance Ministry as “not majority-capable” and insufficiently aligned. Furthermore, it was reported that the projected revenue stream was set to increase significantly from the initially planned 450 million Euros to 1.2 billion Euros.
