[Image: tcdiyoze.png]
by Andrea Byt
13th May 2019, 21:13 h

Movement on important Matters

The Königspalast and the government in general get criticised recently by the opposition and the people itself for being too ineffective and not doing enough. In fact it's correct that there were not many laws passed up until now by the Green-Liberal coalition under the leadership of Tom Kirchmann. Maybe they noticed that themselves and in the recent few days they made huge decisions on very important matters.
The CO₂-tax that was introduced in the beginning of this year e.g. will not get increased (at the moment only 3 Tacks/ton CO₂, new law would have set it to 20 Tacks/ton as of 2020). At least yet. Vice chancellor Sanddorn as well as Leader Gianluca have already criticised that decision by the coalition and the parliament and asked the MPs to see the situation correctly and that such a tax needs to be higher to even work in the desired way.
Opponents argued that this tax is especially bad for small companies and people without much money. "You can't let the poorest people pay that much more so suddenly", Katharina Grall, head of the leftist LGI-fraction, said to the press as explanation why she voted against that law. "Maybe you could increase the wealth tax to at least 60% first, before you put a higher price on the living for people, who can't even afford living right now."

                                                                                                                                                               

Party	Yes	No	Abstain
KPHA	0	56	0
SLP	130	110	0
PPG	40	35	0
Grüne	84	0	0
SDP	65	86	0
LGI	0	44	0
Result	319	331	0

A tax increase that got met far more positive was the 7% increase on the plastic tax as of 1st January 2020 (currently 10%). "We want people to use less plastic overall. It's not easy to see the polluted waters in our nearby oceans that destroy the environment and kill the animals without mercy. We need to stop that and furthermore - which is why we don't ban it - need to animate companies to look for alternatives to plastic as much as possible and to maybe develop something equally good or better that's even eco-friendly", Emre Klehn (Grüne), minister for agriculture, nutrition, environment and nature protection, told the parliament.
Opposing voices could only be heard from the conservative KPHA, but not about the increase itself, but more about whether it needs to be as high as 7%. The suggestion to make the increase only as high as 4% did not get a majority in the parliament.

                                                                                                                                                               

Party	Yes	No	Abstain
KPHA	29	0	27
SLP	240	0	0
PPG	75	0	0
Grüne	84	0	0
SDP	151	0	0
LGI	44	0	0
Result	623	0	27

The KPHA produced commotion in some other aspect though. The suggestion of the parliamentary vice president Prince Triton of Atlantis to intervene with the Bundesarmee in Reizen was met with disgust by most MPs, even by his own father - the former king of Atlantis Ikaros VIII. of Atlantis. "You want to see Atlantic blood in the world! That's an unbearable suggestion! Weren't the Serevan war and the following terrorist attacks by subversive elements enough for you?!" he asked in rage and got applause by all fractions of the parliament for it.

                                                                                                                                                               

Party	Yes	No	Abstain
KPHA	30	26	0
SLP	0	240	0
PPG	0	75	0
Grüne	0	84	0
SDP	0	151	0
LGI	0	44	0
Result	30	620	0