Status: 08/20/2022 09:57 a.m
DGB boss Fahimi wants not only the socially needy to be relieved of the high energy costs. She wants a bigger debate. There is no consensus in the coalition about the measures.
In the discussion on how the federal government should react to the increase in energy prices, the chairwoman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Yasmin Fahimi, called for noticeable relief not only for the socially needy. Fahimi told the dpa news agency that relief measures should also be felt across the board.
“Of course, the federal government cannot put a big cheese dome over us,” said the DGB boss. There is also a great willingness to show solidarity. “But there is growing irritation that in times of crisis, sacrifice is always demanded the most from those who have the least,” Fahimi said.
DGB boss Fahimi also wants to see low earners and pensioners relieved
Image: dpa
“Reduce electricity tax to a minimum”
Fahimi described the gas levy as correct in the matter. However, it burdens an average household four times more than the EEG surcharge last did. Lowering the VAT on gas, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently announced, is therefore the right thing to do. “But why isn’t the electricity tax finally reduced to the minimum permissible in Europe?”
The minimum tax rate on electricity in the EU is one euro per megawatt hour. The rate in Germany is 20.50 euros per megawatt hour.
According to the DGB boss, the pressure to reduce energy costs remains high, “not just for a few groups of users, but actually across the board”. A more detailed debate is therefore needed about who will be relieved and to what extent. “Those who cannot pay their bills, i.e. in particular transfer recipients, must be given full relief.” But the situation is also difficult for people with low annual incomes or small pensions.
Prime Minister Weil for further one-off payments
The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, is demanding further one-off payments in this context. The SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Anyone who can barely manage with their money anyway cannot cope with the enormous price increases on their own.” Targeted support measures are therefore necessary for those who do not have their own financial buffer. And in the Prime Minister’s opinion, this must happen quickly.
disagreement in the coalition
There is no consensus within the coalition parties about the relief measures. The head of the German Greens in the European Parliament, Rasmus Andresen, accused Chancellor Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner of a lack of concept. He warned in “Spiegel” that “the traffic light must not be driven by populist impulses.”
For his part, FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr called on Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck to ensure that the VAT relief for gas is actually passed on to consumers.