Sugar Tax Expansion Plan Leaks; Klingbeil Rules Out Taxing Sugar-Free Drinks

A leaked Finance Ministry working paper, obtained by broadcaster ARD, showed the government's planned sugar tax could extend well beyond soft drinks — to juices, milk drinks, iced teas, oat drinks, ready-made coffee beverages, alcohol-free beer and wine, and even artificially sweetened diet drinks. The draft proposed rates starting at 26 cents per liter for drinks with 4.5g of sugar per 100ml, rising to 32 cents at 7g, plus a 38-cent surcharge above 10g, with implementation expected around 2028 and projected annual revenue of roughly €450 million. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) said on August 26 that taxing sugar-free drinks like Diet Coke and Fanta Zero was "off the table," posting on Instagram "Sugar tax on Zero and co? No!" and stressing the leaked document was an internal technical draft, not a coalition decision.