Before the start of the federal government’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Habeck emphasized that the gas levy was not a mistake.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) has announced the first steps towards revising the controversial gas levy. Habeck only wants to pay out the levy to companies if the board does not collect any bonus payments. A ministry spokeswoman confirmed this to the Handelsblatt. “Anyone who can pay out bonuses doesn’t need any help,” she explained.
The Düsseldorf economist Jens Südekum evaluates this step positively. “I believe that a few candidates will then voluntarily withdraw from the gas surcharge,” he told the Handelsblatt. Which board of directors would be happy to forego bonuses if the profit situation is right.
In addition, importers should only receive money from the levy if they are “relevant to security of supply” and the volume of Russian gas deliveries that fail is significant, according to the ministry spokeswoman. First the “time” had reported.
Before the start of the federal government’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Habeck emphasized that the gas levy was not a mistake. It is a necessary means of distributing the high prices “as fairly” as possible across Germany. But there must be relief for the citizens. These would come “soon”.
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The surcharge is intended to compensate for the sharp rise in costs for large importers due to the shortage of Russian gas supplies in order to protect them from bankruptcy and the energy system from collapsing. All gas customers should pay an additional 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour from October.
It is criticized that companies that are doing well economically could also benefit. You have to “push the free riders off the footboard,” said Habeck.
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