Farmers Block Highways In Germany Over Government's Move To Cut Tax Reliefs
In Germany, farmers held demonstrations and blocked highways as part of the week-long protest launched after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpopular three-party coalition drew plans for abolishing a car tax exemption for farming vehicles and the diesel tax breaks in order to fill a budget deficit of 17 billion euros ($18.6 billion).
According to a report by the Associated Press, the government has only partially approved the demands by retaining the car tax exemption and staggering the diesel tax breaks over three years, despite the German Farmers’ Association insisting on a full reversal. This made the farmers decide to go ahead with a “week of action” blocking entry roads to highways early Monday, calling for a protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and a string of other demonstrations with tractors across the country.
Moreover, farmers on Thursday prevented Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from disembarking a ferry in a small North Sea port as he returned from a personal trip to an offshore island, triggering the authorities to launch a thorough scrutiny of the protest, fearing that far-right groups and others could try to capitalise on the protests.
Farmers Association chairman Joachim Rukwied told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that “we don’t want to have right-wing and other radical groups” at the demonstrations.
According to the report, the government was compelled to do a budget revamp, including the disputed cuts, when Germany’s highest court invalidated an earlier decision to repurpose 60 billion euros (almost $66 billion), originally meant to cushion the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, for measures to help combat climate change and modernise the country. The move failed to comply with Germany’s strict self-imposed limits to curb increased debt.
Travellers in Germany had been struggling nearly three days later this week after a union representing many of the country’s train drivers went on strike against state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn in an un dispute over working hours and pay before farmers moved to protest.
The GDL union is calling on its members to walk out from 2 a.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Friday, according to the AP.
