The German parliament is discussing a plan to permanently lower sales tax on restaurant food to the same level that it was at during the coronavirus pandemic.
The move is part of a broader effort to support businesses and consumers facing inflation, high energy costs and weaker purchasing power.
Ministers have already approved draft legislation from Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil that would reduce the tax on food served in restaurants from 19% to 7%.
The measure still requires parliamentary approval. It forms part of the policy package negotiated in the coalition deal between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc and Klingbeil’s center-left Social Democrats.
The coalition, which took office in early May, has made reviving Germany’s slowing economy a central priority.
During the coronavirus pandemic, sales tax on restaurant food had been temporarily cut to 7% to help the sector through lockdowns, but after the end of restrictions the rate returned to 19%.
The Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from Donald Trump.
The pres...
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, on Thursday accused the NATO military alliance of making practical preparations for what he called a "large-sc...
Morning Briefing
Dozen inmates cast votes despite being barred from election - reports
Around a dozen inmates at Corradino Correctional Facility are believed to have cast votes ill...
Updated 1100
Polls point to Labour victory as surveys differ on margin
Two major election surveys published in the final days of the campaign both place the Labour Party ahead of t...
Former Polish president and anti-communist icon Lech Wałęsa was among the first recipients of the newly established European Order of Merit, receiving the EU’s highest distinction during...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
Oil prices jumped more than 3% on Thursday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a U.S. airbase in response to a U.S. attack near Bandar Abbas airport.
Brent crude fu...
Oil prices pulled back from recent highs on Wednesday, erasing some of the previous day's 4% gain as traders sought clarity on complex negotiations between Iran and the U.S. after rene...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
GO plc, Malta's leading integrated communications and digital services group, today held its Annual General Meeting, where shareholders were presented with a landmark set of financial re...
Pharmaceutical and medical devices company Vivian has reported a 28.8% reduction in energy consumption over the past year, significantly surpassing the 5% benchmark required to qualify f...
The United States launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes against Iranian military targets after three US Navy destroyers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply ...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into its war in Ukraine and was weighing plans to attack Ukraine's north or a NATO country from Belarus...
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have named former presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak as a suspect in a major graft investigation involving alleged money laundering.
Accor...
