Die Ökosteuer – eine ordnungspolitische Fehlleistung

Allocating social costs to the one who is responsible for them improves the workability of the price system and thus is a right way of economic policy in a market economy. The German eco-tax only imperfectly meets these requirements. For populist reasons private households, large and small companies are burdened in different ways. The rate of taxation does not depend on the emission of ecologically harmful gases. For example, nuclear power plants which do not cause any emission of carbon dioxide are taxed more heavily than power plants which burn hard coal - although burning hard coal causes massive emission of carbon dioxide. By introducing eco-taxation German government aims at keeping premiums for social security low. Thus for the governing parties (SPD - i.e. Labour Party - and the Greens) eco-taxation is a way of avoiding necessary liberal reform of German social security system. By doing so a redistribution of income at the expense of poor households is accepted willingly. From the view of Ordnungspolitik German eco-tax has discriminating effects, lowers employment and slows down growth.