For Greenpeace, increasing the commuter allowance is “the opposite of social justice.”
Photo: dpa/Michael Kappeler
Berlin. The federal government’s planned relief package to compensate for increased energy prices has met with a lot of criticism. The Parity Welfare Association complained that it was socially unfair. The environmental organization Greenpeace made a similar statement. The opposition in the Bundestag also spoke of insufficient measures.
The coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed on Wednesday evening to abolish the green electricity levy, which has been part of the electricity price, as early as July. The commuter allowance is to be raised retroactively to January 1 from the 21st kilometer. The employee lump sum for income tax will be increased by 200 euros to 1200 euros. Children affected by poverty should receive an immediate surcharge of 20 euros per month from July 1st because of the high energy prices. Recipients of unemployment benefit II, basic security and social assistance should receive a one-off subsidy of 100 euros.
The CDU and CSU described the resolutions as insufficient. “Even after the decision of the coalition, the state earns more from taxes and certificates from the skyrocketing energy prices than the traffic light now wants to give back for relief,” criticized the energy expert of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Andreas Jung (CDU). “In order to effectively relieve the burden on citizens and companies, further taxes must therefore be reduced: electricity tax, network charges and value added tax on electricity, gas and district heating.”
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt made a similar statement. The abolition of the EEG levy is too small a building block, he criticized. “The federal government has to get to the taxes.” After the traffic light decisions, the commuter allowance is only a mini-relief for long-distance commuters.
“This is a fatal result,” said Ulrich Schneider, general manager of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, of the German Press Agency: “Instead of targeted support for those who really need it, the money is poured out with the watering can. The households with the largest wallets and the highest power consumption benefit. Hartz IV recipients are once again left behind with a completely inadequate payment of a one-off payment of 100 euros.« The result of the coalition committee is neither ecologically goal-oriented nor budget-wise sensible and certainly not social.
Linke board member Maximilian Becker called the relief package “an indictment of social and climate policy”. It will not relieve the people who are particularly affected by the increased energy prices. »Because while poor people receive a one-time subsidy of just 100 euros, high earners can look forward to a few hundred euros more in their wallets thanks to the increase in the commuter allowance. The manager will benefit more from the traffic light relief package than the commuting nurse,” criticized Becker.
Greenpeace traffic expert Marion Tiemann called the increase in the commuter allowance “the opposite of social justice”. As a rule, people from the suburbs or the surrounding area, who had to travel long distances to get above-average paying jobs, benefited the most from this. To help low-income households, “the federal government should instead only increase the flat rate for income-related expenses.”
The relief package has also met with criticism from consumer advocates. Energy expert Thomas Engelke from the Federation of Consumer Organizations described the measures as “half-hearted”. “Of course, the package brings relief, but overall it’s only half-hearted because it doesn’t even come close to offsetting the price increases, especially for people with low incomes,” Engelke told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ). The consumer advocate criticizes that, especially with the planned elimination of the EEG surcharge, it is not stipulated that the relief is to be returned in full to the consumer. “This must be clearly laid down in law,” Engelke demands. dpa/nd