Saxony-Anhalt's poorest families spend 25% of income on groceries

Single parents and low-wage earners face a growing crisis as food bills devour their budgets. Could scrapping VAT on staples be the answer?

, and Administrator

2026 April 10 . 8:01 PM

1 min read

The image shows a poster with the text "Finish the Job: Health Care Should Be a Right, Not a... — The image shows a poster with the text "Finish the Job: Health Care Should Be a Right, Not a Privilege" and a card with the words "Make Lower Health Care Premiums Permanent and Close the Coverage Gap for American Families" printed on it, emphasizing the importance of health care and the need to make lower health care premiums permanent and close the coverage gap for American families.

Left Party in Saxony-Anhalt Calls for VAT Abolition on Staple Foods: Single Parents and Low-Income Earners Would Benefit Most

Saxony-Anhalt's poorest families spend 25% of income on groceries

Rising food prices are placing a heavy burden on low-income households, according to the state government's response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party (Die Linke) on how food expenditures strain household budgets. Eva von Angern, leader of the Left Party's parliamentary group, emphasized: "High food prices hit single parents especially hard. On average, they spend around 12.6 percent of their income on groceries—far more than other household types. Single parents already face immense financial pressure, and soaring food costs only deepen their social hardship. Every family should be able to afford nutritious, high-quality food. That's why we must provide relief here."

Kerstin Eisenreich, the Left Party's spokesperson on food policy, added: "We need to eliminate VAT on staple foods. This would primarily benefit low-income households. The latest figures reveal a stark social imbalance: households with very low incomes spend 17.5 percent of their earnings on food, while high earners spend just 7.3 percent. Those with lower incomes allocate more than twice as much of their budget to food compared to wealthier households. That's why scrapping VAT on essential groceries would deliver the greatest relief to those who need it most."