Another factor was the increase in automobile tax. Consumers also had to pay more for coffee and fish. The cost of living for East Germans was noticeably more expensive. Annual inflation in the East German states was 2.4 percent compared to only 1.7 percent in the West. In spite of this unfavorable development, the Bundesbank has not raised interest rates.
German cars use too much gas Bonn.
At the presentation of the 1997 ecological score card for cars, the club said that gas consumption is as high as it was ten years ago. The cars built are too big and too heavy and that ecologically minded drivers should choose lower-powered motor cars when buying a car.