Germany cuts energy tax to lower petrol prices as Merz faces state key elections

France24 - Sep 19, 2026

Germany will cut taxes on gasoline and diesel by about 17 cents a litre from October, the government said Friday. The move comes ahead of state elections in the capital Berlin and the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats are expected to be soundly defeated.

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