Overview

• The Bavarian cabinet enforced a ban on municipal packaging taxes, citing administrative burdens and consumer cost concerns.
• Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann defended the decision, emphasizing the need to avoid additional bureaucracy and financial strain on businesses and citizens.
• Cities like Regensburg and Bamberg had planned to introduce packaging taxes modeled on Tübingen’s scheme, which charges fees on single-use items to reduce waste.
• The Bavarian Association of Cities criticized the ban as an unjustified infringement on municipal fiscal autonomy and signaled potential legal challenges.
• The Federal Constitutional Court previously upheld Tübingen’s packaging tax as constitutional, inspiring over 120 German municipalities to consider similar measures.