Nine Union Agriculture Ministers Call for Cancellation of Planned Sugar Tax

Nine ministers overseeing Union-run agricultural portfolios have jointly addressed Chancellor Friedrich Merz, his chief of staff Nina Warken, and CDU faction chief Thorsten Frei, urging the government to scrap the proposed sugar tax on high-sugar beverages. The correspondence, obtained by one outlet-Zeitung, bears the signatures of Bavaria’s agriculture minister Michaela Kaniber, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Silke Gorißen and Baden-Württemberg’s Marion Gentges, among others.

They contend that the levy contradicts the coalition pact, which prioritises voluntary action and individual responsibility in nutrition policy. Daniel Günther, the Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, has been a vocal supporter of the tax and has previously pushed the idea at a CDU party congress, but his state did not endorse the letter. Günther plans to continue pursuing the measure through the Bundesrat, having already submitted a resolution there on March 27 requesting a tax or similar charge on sugary drinks and a minimum age of 16 for energy-drink sales.