Farmers protest against a German government plan to cut tax breaks for diesel

BERLIN (AP) — German farmers are gathering in Berlin to protest against planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture, part of a deal reached by the government to plug a hole in the country’s budget. Leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition last week agreed on measures to fill a 17 billion-euro ($18.5 billion) hole in next year’s budget. They said they would achieve that by reducing climate-damaging subsidies and slightly reducing some ministries’ spending, among other measures. As more details have emerged of what the deal entails, so has discontent, notably over a plan to cut tax breaks for agricultural diesel and scrap an exemption from car tax for farming vehicles.