Christian Lindner, the former chairman of the FDP and Federal Minister of Finance, criticized the current government’s reluctance to implement cost-of-living relief measures, citing the high price of gasoline. Speaking to the television channel “Welt” on Friday, Lindner expressed his concern, noting that many people rely on cars both for their employment and for daily necessities. He pointed out that a significant proportion of car owners live in rural areas, stating that shifting to public transport would not be feasible for them, meaning they are “going to be hit the hardest”. Lindner emphasized that “individual mobility must be financially accessible in Germany”.
The former finance minister also recalled that the “Ampel” coalition introduced a fuel discount back in 2022. He mentioned that this measure reduced the per-cent uplift on gasoline and diesel, a measure that was temporary for three months, clarifying that his intention as finance minister at the time was not to profit from high fuel prices.
In response to criticism regarding the overall effectiveness of the fuel discount, Lindner defended it, asserting that it was “far more effective than claimed”. He added that investigations had shown that the discount had been almost completely passed on to citizens for gasoline and to a very large extent for diesel.
