To relieve the burden of high energy prices, the consumer advice centers are demanding climate money of 139 euros for every citizen. Since 2021, consumers have been paying a surcharge on gas, oil and fuel due to the CO₂ price without receiving sufficient relief in return, argues Thomas Engelke from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) on ARD. The CO₂ price will continue to rise next year. “We demand that the government does everything it can to ensure that climate money comes as quickly as possible.”
Climate money is a concept in the coalition agreement between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. Accordingly, a “social compensation mechanism” should be created to compensate for an increase in the CO₂ price. The federal government argues that citizens will be relieved because the state will cover the EEG levy on electricity prices. Almost all income from the CO₂ price flows back to people. But according to the consumer advice centers, this doesn’t work.
The government’s total revenue from the CO₂ price is significantly higher than direct relief. Mathematically, the VZBV comes to the conclusion that consumers should receive climate money of 139 euros for the past three years to compensate. For a family of four that would be 556 euros. “I would like to see that on consumers’ accounts,” said energy expert Engelke.
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour reacts positively to the consumer advice centers’ demands. “I saw the number and it looks very solid and very well calculated,” Nouripour told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Thursday. The exact amount will ultimately be determined by the Ministry of Finance, said Nouripour. “And you can’t make it so prophetic.” This depends on CO₂ emissions and also on the price, which is expected to rise at the turn of the year.