According to the most recent available data, the number of applications for agricultural diesel tax relief has dropped significantly. While current customs figures show that 165,975 applications were filed nationwide for the 2021 fiscal year, only 136,628 were filed for the 2024 fiscal year—a decline of about 18 percent. However, farmers’ associations do not view this decline as evidence that the tax relief is becoming less important. Figures for the 2025 fiscal year are not yet available. The German Farmers’ Association described the agricultural diesel tax relief as “a key instrument for ensuring the competitiveness of German agriculture.” Reasons for the decline include, on the one hand, the gradual reduction of the tax relief over the past two years and, in part, a high level of bureaucratic effort that is not worth the trouble, especially for smaller farms. The decision by the “traffic light” coalition—comprising the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP—to abolish the agricultural diesel tax rebate had led to nationwide farmer protests starting in December 2023. The new CDU-SPD coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) subsequently reversed the abolition. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
