A "fuel-rod" tax which German leaders foreshadowed in July is still not settled government policy, and Germany is negotiating with nuclear plant operators on possible alternatives, according to government documents leaked Tuesday. When Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the tax proposal, she said it would raise 2.3 billion euros (2.9 billion dollars) annually to plug Germany's fiscal deficit. But the power industry protested, according to dpa. The German Press Agency dpa obtained a draft of the fuel-rod tax bill carrying a note that Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is to continue talks till the end of September with the industry on alternatives. "How a comparable solution via a public-law treaty between the federal government and the energy supply companies could be achieved is to be studied," the document said. It was marked up to be submitted "for affirmative acknowledgement" at a meeting on Wednesday of Merkel's cabinet. -- SPA
