State Secretary Christian Kühn welcomes the GreenVAT initiative

Parliamentary State Secretary Christian Kühn (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) welcomes the European citizens’ initiative GreenVAT. GreenVAT was initiated by entrepreneur and VAT expert Roman Maria Koidl. He calls for reduced VAT rates on sustainable, ecological and environmentally friendly products and services across Europe.

Berlin, 10/05/2022 Roman Koidl owes the business idea for founding his company, eClear AG, to the fact that there are no uniform European rules regarding VAT rates. Each EU member state has regulations regarding the amount of VAT to be assessed. “The common factor, however,” says Roman Koidl, “is that VAT is assessed in every EU Member State. Why should it not be used EU-wide as a steering tax in environmental protection and ecological change?” VAT cuts have been used many times to mitigate the consequences of economic crises, most recently during the Corona pandemic.

“With the Green Deal, the European Union is pursuing the ambitious goal of being the first continent to be climate neutral by 2050,” Roman Koidl explains. Several measures are necessary to achieve this, he says. “The price of a product is a decisive criterion for consumers. Reducing VAT for green products will create more acceptance among consumers towards a change in their consumption behaviour.” An increase in sales of sustainable and environmentally friendly produced products would also lead to a rethinking of the economy. Companies and producers would invest more in research and sustainable production, Koidl is sure. “A win-win situation for everyone.”

The initiative has already found numerous advocates and supporters in the European Union. Producers who have changed their product portfolio to sustainable and ecological goods would benefit from a tax reduction for their products.

Christian Kühn of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, welcomes the citizens’ initiative. “I find GreenVAT very exciting. Making Europe climate neutral by 2050 is a huge challenge that requires many approaches. GreenVAT can be a building block in this process,” said State Secretary Kühn. On Monday, 9 May 2022, Christian Kühn met with Roman Koidl, who personally presented the initiative to him at the Federal Ministry in Berlin. One can be curious about the further development of the citizens’ initiative.

“GreenVAT can bring about socio-ecological change – especially among consumers who were not necessarily aware of environmental and climate protection until now,” said Roman Koidl. Supporters of the GreenVAT initiative can sign their petition on the European Commission’s website (https://europa.eu/citizens-initiative/initiatives/details/2021/000011_en).

Contact person:

Brigitta Hartmann
bha@greenvat.org
Tel.: +49 30 23590 7104