German restaurants fear closures as pandemic tax breaks go off menu

File photo: A '2G' rule sign, allowing only those vaccinated or recovered from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to enter restaurants and other indoor areas, is displayed at the entrance of a Bar Restaurant in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chef Omar Ben Hammou found opening his Berlin seafood restaurant tough enough amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, basic foodstuffs right down to cooking oil grew more expensive, interest rates began to climb and a labour shortage set in.

And now Ben Hammou faces another blow as the German government moves to end pandemic-era tax breaks for the hospitality industry.