Packaging tax: The coffee price shock and what Hesse is planning!

Packaging tax: The coffee price shock and what Hesse is planning!

The current developments regarding the introduction of a packaging tax are making waves in Hesse. More cities are considering implementing a tax on disposable cups as the price of coffee beans has risen dramatically - up to 84 percent, according to reports Picture reported. In large cities, the average price for a cappuccino is currently around 4 euros, although the introduction of the tax could add costs of up to 50 cents per drink. This development could not only change the coffee culture in the country, but also put a strain on consumers' wallets.

Cities such as Wiesbaden, Darmstadt and Hanau are particularly active in Hesse, all of which are considering packaging tax. In contrast, Frankfurt and Kassel firmly reject this measure. It is interesting that the Hessian Association of Cities and Municipalities predicts that other municipalities could follow suit in the near future. A total of 144 cities in Germany are already considering such a tax, including larger cities such as Cologne and Münster.

First city with packaging tax

Tübingen is the first city in Germany to introduce a packaging tax in 2022. This amounts to 50 cents for disposable tableware and disposable packaging and 20 cents for disposable cutlery. The income should be used for waste disposal and environmental protection measures. Loud tagesschau.de More and more companies in Tübingen are now offering reusable tableware variants, which indicates a rethink in the catering industry. The city expects the tax to bring in over 700,000 euros, which is not insignificant for a small city.

An additional highlight of this development is that the legality of the tax was confirmed in a court of law, which forms the basis for similar initiatives in other cities. Deutsche Umwelthilfe has already submitted over 2,100 applications for municipal disposable packaging taxes to various cities in order to raise awareness of the problem of packaging waste.

Bureaucratic hurdles for companies

But the focus is not only on the tax itself, but also on the bureaucratic challenges associated with it. Like the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) on its website dihk.de emphasizes, companies in the hospitality industry spend an average of 14 hours per week on regulatory compliance. Smaller companies also have to adapt to different municipal statutes, which leads to considerable additional effort.

The question of whether the packaging tax actually brings about the desired reduction in waste remains controversial. Critics, such as the Taxpayers' Association, see this additional tax as just another bureaucratic effort without any significant environmental improvement. However, time is of the essence and many cities have to consider how they can address rising waste costs.

Overall, it shows that the discussion about the packaging tax is not just a local but a nationwide issue that could bring about exciting developments financially, environmentally and socially. We remain curious to see how the situation will develop and what decisions will be made by the cities in the coming months.