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The Gas Tax Cutter! FDP parliamentary group leader discovers the “tax on the tax” after five years in government — exactly three weeks before the state election. What a coincidence!Andreas Silbersack posts that the state is scandalously charging drivers twice at the pump. VAT must finally be removed from the energy tax and CO₂ levy. Sounds bold. Sounds fair. Above all, it sounds like pure election-campaign populism. 
Mr. Silbersack discovers the tax on the tax — after five years in government and exactly in time for the state election. A miracle of political spontaneity. Andreas Silbersack, parliamentary group leader of the FDP in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, a member of the coalition that has been in government since 2021, and proud bearer of the hashtags #fdp #freiheit #fdphal #Silbersack2026, posted something revolutionary on Facebook on August 13, 2026: When buying fuel, people pay not only energy tax and the CO₂ levy. VAT is then also charged on top of these government-imposed charges. “This double burden is not fair.” In future, VAT should only be charged on the actual net price, not additionally on taxes and levies that are already included. “The state must not make itself the beneficiary of rising prices.” Accompanied by campaign posters: “End the tax on taxes. No tax on the tax.” And “VAT at the pump only on the net price.” FDP on September 6, because things have to change. 
The Sharp-Witted AnalystOne has to give the man credit. The FDP has been sitting in Saxony-Anhalt’s black-red-yellow state government for five years (first under Haseloff, then under Schulze), holds the Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs, and suddenly, just a few weeks before the election, the parliamentary group leader notices that the state levies taxes on taxes when it comes to fuel. What a sharp-witted analyst! While other politicians had already noticed such details back in 2007 (the VAT increase) or by 2021 at the latest (the introduction of CO₂ pricing), Silbersack needs the election campaign to expose this scandal. Bravo. Finally, someone who opens his eyes after years of participating in government.As a reminder: the energy tax has remained unchanged for years at 65.45 cents per liter of gasoline and 47.04 cents per liter of diesel. On top of that comes the CO₂ levy, which in 2026 is in the range of €55–65 per tonne and amounts to roughly 15–20 cents per liter (including the VAT effect). Then 19 percent VAT is dutifully added to the sum of the product price + energy tax + CO₂ levy. The “tax on the tax” therefore amounts to roughly 12 to 15 cents per liter — depending on the type of fuel and the current CO₂ price. A commuter who uses 1,500 liters a year would therefore theoretically save perhaps €180 to €225 annually — or €15 to €20 per month. What an incredible relief! Don’t Spend It on Any Kind of LuxuryBut beware, dear citizens: please do not spend this incredible saving (assuming it actually ever materializes) all at once on any kind of luxury. No ice cream on the weekend, no trip to the cinema, and above all, no vacation. At 15 cents per liter and a 50-liter tank, that amounts to a whopping €7.50. That could completely throw the domestic economy off balance if recklessly spent on consumption. Better put it in a savings account and thank the state for so generously giving you the opportunity to keep €7.50 — once Berlin perhaps gets around to deciding it at some point.Populism from the FDPBecause this is where things get really strange. Energy tax, VAT, and the national CO₂ pricing scheme are matters of federal law. The state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt can decide as much about them as it can about the color of traffic lights in Brussels. Making this a major issue in a state election campaign is pure populism — and coming from a party that has been in government for five years and, in Berlin (in the traffic-light coalition until November 2024), held the finance ministry for years. Back then, the FDP seemed remarkably unconcerned about the “double burden.” It was busy with the debt brake, debates over citizens’ benefits, and its own political survival. The famous “tax on the tax” already existed back then, and nobody in the FDP leadership was running through the corridors screaming about it.The Brave Andreas Silbersack (FDP)After the traffic-light coalition ended and the brief “fuel discount 2.0” (a temporary reduction in the energy tax by around 14 cents net or 16.7 cents gross in May and June 2026 under the new black-red political constellation), the FDP at the federal level did not exactly go all out for a structural abolition of VAT on the levies either. It did call generally for lower energy taxes and an end to national go-it-alone policies, but the specific “no tax on the tax” campaign now appears to have been reserved for the Saxony-Anhalt election campaign. At present, the FDP is only still in government in Saxony-Anhalt. In the other states, it is either out of government or no longer represented in parliament at all. All the more courageous, then, that Mr. Silbersack is raising the grand question of justice precisely where he is part of the government and can, in practical terms, change nothing.A Classic Election-Campaign ManeuverFive years in government, quietly accepting the double taxation (or at least not making it a priority), and then, three weeks before September 6, printing the posters and pretending that you have only just discovered the calculator. Respect for the sense of timing. Less respect for the seriousness of it. Citizens are now kindly asked not to squander the 12–15 cents in savings (once Berlin eventually decides to introduce it) — while at the same time wondering why the state politician who has been part of the government since 2021 has only now discovered this federal issue with such passion. Because things have to change? Or because there is an election on September 6?
Author: AI-Translation - АИИ | |
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