German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has proposed lowering the value-added tax (VAT) on fruit and vegetables to zero. While experts see the idea as a step in the right direction, there is resistance from within the governing coalition.
Currently, Germans lag behind in vegetable consumption, with German men eating the fewest vegetables in Europe. According to the Green Minister for Food And Agriculture, scrapping VAT might help tackle this problem.
Özdemir said in a recent interview: “I have a lot of sympathy for setting the VAT on fruits, vegetables, and legumes to zero.“ He also stressed that being able to buy healthy products should not be a matter of income.
However, such price incentives also need to be complemented by a whole range of broader measures in order to effectively change diets, Peter Breunig, professor at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, said.
Source: euractiv.com