Berlin, October 19.12.2023, 16, 45:XNUMX a.m – Takes in a video statement Lina Johnsen, spokesperson for Last Generation, position on farmers' protests against the abolition of tax breaks for agricultural diesel.
It says, among other things:
"Agriculture as a whole feels that it is being treated unfairly by the federal government.
That's why there are protests in Berlin right now. And even if it may surprise some, we as the last generation understand it. Because the farmers are right when they say that the efforts necessary for climate protection are not distributed fairly.
In this case, farmers will now have to pay higher taxes because subsidies will be eliminated. This makes economic survival even more difficult for farms that are already under massive pressure to offer their products cheaply. Instead, you could have gotten around three times as much by abolishing the company car privilege, which is partly used to subsidize the luxury cars of higher earners.
Many of the other measures in the federal government's budget are also unfair. For example, higher CO2 prices, increased network fees, etc. will increase the prices of electricity and other consumer goods for everyone in the country.
This will hit households with low incomes particularly hard, while it will make little difference for wealthy people. This would be easily alleviated if these funds were returned to the population, for example through the climate money that has already been promised. (…)
Why shouldn't those who benefited from the climate crisis also pay for it? Where are the higher taxes for gas and oil companies that made record profits last year?
Fossil fuel subsidies must clearly be abolished. At the same time, we need a lot of money if we want to overcome this crisis together as a society. But if the federal government ignores social justice, then it won't work."
The full statement on YouTube: youtu.be/1pmPZwzKtKo?si=yzY3TYK2Br-Imn6v