Prices: Linke demands an extension of the 9-euro ticket

From the point of view of the left, the 9-euro ticket should be extended at least until the end of the year. This should be part of a further package to relieve citizens in the event of sharply rising prices, which the left-wing faction in the Bundestag is demanding from the federal government.

In particular, a “protective shield for East Germany” is needed, since the high inflation and the consequences of the sanctions against Russia are hitting the people there particularly hard. “Food and energy prices are out of control and rising at an unimaginable pace,” says the application, which is available to the German Press Agency.

In June, July and August, the 9-euro ticket allows you to travel on local public transport throughout Germany. On the one hand, the tickets are intended to relieve consumers in view of the high inflation and, on the other hand, to make public transport more attractive.

Large majority for extension

A clear majority of people in Germany are in favor of extending the 9-euro ticket beyond August. In a survey by the opinion research institute Insa for “Bild am Sonntag”, this was stated by 70 percent of those questioned. 18 percent were against it.

Green leader Ricarda Lang described the 9-euro ticket as a huge success. “We are now investigating whether people are really switching from the car to the train because of the ticket. If that’s the case, we definitely have to talk in the coalition about how we can build on this success,” she told the “Bild am Sonntag”. Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), on the other hand, believes that more structural reforms in public transport are necessary before there is to be more money.

Multiple demands

The extension of the 9-euro ticket is just one of several demands by the left to relieve the burden on people in Germany. It’s about an “emergency plan” for energy supply at “affordable prices”, a lower VAT on staple foods, a reduction in fuel prices with revenue from an excess profit tax for oil companies, the expansion of the government’s already planned aid to pensioners and students as well as for a “functioning state energy price supervision” within six months.

There are two more demands specifically for the East: a rescue fund for East German companies to prevent insolvencies due to price increases and the oil embargo against Russia, and a guarantee of continued existence and employment for the PCK oil refinery in Schwedt. The plant processes Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline, which the federal government wants to forego as part of the EU embargo. She is looking for alternatives.

The traffic light coalition had so far decided on two relief packages. These include the tank discount and the 9-euro ticket. She is currently arguing about additional measures. Discussions are about higher Hartz IV rates and a reduction in the tax burden for employees.