Electricity tax reduction: Why private households should go away empty-handed!

Electricity tax reduction: Why private households should go away empty-handed!

Saxon Economics Minister Dirk Panter commented on the federal government's current plans to reduce electricity taxes. These should only benefit industry and agriculture, while private households, trades and service providers are left out. MDR reports that Panter calls for a differentiated view of the measures. He emphasizes that the discussion about electricity tax should not be limited to industry.

From Panter's perspective, the prioritization of the economy in a time of tight budgets is understandable. However, he makes it clear that the trades should also benefit from the relief measures. According to Panter, the planned benefits from abolishing the gas storage levy and reducing network fees are important steps, but are not enough to relieve the burden on the entire population.

Criticism of the federal government

However, the federal government does not plan to reduce the electricity tax for private consumers. This decision was announced by Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche during the annual congress of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The Ministry of Finance, led by Lars Klingbeil (SPD), has the say and currently sees no scope for relief for consumers, as is the case taz reported.

In Germany, electricity prices are high compared to other European countries, which not only puts a strain on energy-intensive companies, but also contributes to the current economic downturn. According to estimates by the Freiburg Öko-Institut, around 10 percent of German households cannot heat sufficiently or are heavily burdened by energy costs. These high electricity prices also have a negative impact on sales figures for electric cars and heat pumps.

Political promises and their implementation

In the coalition agreement, the Union and SPD promised lower energy costs for everyone and aimed to reduce electricity taxes to the European minimum. The planned relief for industry and agriculture amounts to 3 billion euros. While private households are supposed to benefit from the reduction in network fees and the exemption from the gas storage levy, the tax relief for them was excluded.

The decision not to reduce the electricity tax for private households has met with sharp criticism. Consumer advocates and opposition representatives express concern. Ramona Pop, head of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations, emphasizes that this could lead to a massive loss of trust in politics. Julia Verlinden from the Greens and Jörg Cezanne from the Left Party also sharply criticized the decision and called for a rethink.

In addition, Katherina Reiche expresses concerns about how realistic the goal of making Germany climate-neutral by 2045 is. She calls for more flexibility in implementation and future planning, without, however, attacking the goal set in the coalition agreement. Brigitte Knopf, another critic, criticizes the current debate about climate goals as unhelpful and instead calls for concrete measures for climate protection in the next five to ten years.