9 state ministers urge Merz to drop sugar tax plan
Nine state ministers from Germany's conservative CDU and CSU parties have written to Chancellor Friedrich Merz asking him to drop the planned tax on sugary drinks. The letter, dated Sunday 11 October 2026, also went to the head of the Chancellery, Nina Warken, and to parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei. It was signed by the agriculture and consumer protection ministers of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, and by Berlin's senator for consumer protection.
The tax is a plan of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). His draft from early October would apply from July 2027 to all drinks with 5 grams of sugar or more per 100 millilitres. The Chancellery stopped that draft for now, saying it could not win a majority in the government in this form, but Klingbeil said on 2 October that the coalition had agreed to introduce a sugar tax. It is unclear where talks between the coalition partners stand.
The ministers argue that the coalition agreement relies on voluntary steps, incentives and personal responsibility, and that a tax would make some foods more expensive without need. "We do not consider an additional tax on sugar or soft drinks the right way," they wrote. They want more nutrition education, information and innovation instead.
What this means for you: nothing changes now. Prices of soft drinks and sweet products stay as they are, and no tax has been decided. If the coalition does agree on a sugar tax, it would not start before July 2027. The sugar content per 100 millilitres is printed on every drink label, so you can already compare products.