Faced with rapidly rising gasoline and gas prices, Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of BSW, urged the German government to reduce the value‑added tax on energy to at least seven percent and to eliminate the CO₂ levy. “This would immediately ease the price at the pump” she told “Stern”, adding that the state should no longer profit from the war.
She warned of an “energy‑price shock” that could accelerate Germany’s economic decline. “Germany could become the economic loser of the Iran war” she said. “The federal government must now protect businesses and consumers from further price explosions”.
Wagenknecht also called for a price‑monitoring system modeled after those used in other European countries to ensure that tax cuts actually reach consumers. She reiterated her demand to resume purchasing Russian oil through the pipeline to Schwedt. “If the government does not act, rising energy prices will bring back high inflation and lead to additional loss of wealth” she cautioned.
