German CDU politicians oppose planned sugar tax on beverages

Members of the CDU, including Saxony‑Anhalt Minister President Sven Schulze, are publicly opposing the coalition’s plan to introduce a sugar tax on sugary drinks. Schulze argues the tax will not meaningfully improve public health awareness nor generate the expected revenue. Health Minister Nina Warken projects first‑year earnings of about €650 million from the tax, which was agreed in the health‑insurance savings package to start in 2027. Other CDU figures, such as deputies Vanessa Zobel and Axel Knoerig, contend that Germany does not face a fiscal shortfall and that new taxes would burden the already strained middle‑class and businesses. Knoerig warns that moving the start date forward would undermine firms’ planning certainty, suggesting the expert commission’s recommendation of a 1 January 2028 launch should be respected.