Energy crisis: Lindner: We’re not afraid of corrections to the gas levy

energy crisis
Lindner: We don’t shy away from corrections to the gas levy

In view of the criticism of the gas levy, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has shown himself open to possible improvements. “A measure of solidarity cannot serve to ensure that individual companies maintain their returns and make profits on them,” said the FDP leader on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. You have to take a close look at that – he doesn’t know the facts, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) knows that much better. “But if there is a need to change something to make this tool more targeted so that consumers benefit, then we are not afraid to make corrections.”

The surcharge is intended to compensate for the sharply increased procurement costs of large importers such as Uniper due to the throttling of Russian gas deliveries in order to protect them from bankruptcy and the German energy system from collapse. All gas customers are to pay an additional 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour from October, private households as well as companies. About half of all apartments in Germany are heated with gas. However, there is criticism of the levy – because companies that are doing well economically could also benefit from it. Demands for improvements have also recently become louder in the traffic light coalition.

Minister of Economics Habeck, who is in charge of the topic, had advised companies “that make good profits” to refrain from reimbursement from the levy. “But of course we also see how many free riders there are now. Of course it wasn’t meant that way,” he said in Gelsenkirchen. The crowd is not particularly large. “But we are checking again whether, in addition to the question “Is that really necessary?”, there is another regulation that makes things more difficult for these companies.”

dpa