High energy prices: How Greece relieves the citizens

Greek electricity providers cut off electricity to thousands of homes because of unpaid bills. The government is now increasing the aid payments and levying a high special tax on the additional profits of the energy companies.

Greece has decided to launch its own initiative, independently of the European Union, to decouple skyrocketing energy prices from Greek household electricity bills, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised speech. Therefore, from July, the government will tax the additional profits made by the energy companies during the energy crisis at 90 percent. In doing so, Greece is indirectly introducing an upper limit for energy prices, according to the prime minister.

In addition, households with low incomes in particular are to receive more financial support. This applies retrospectively from last December. Specifically, it is planned that the state will assume 60 percent of the additional electricity costs that households have had to bear in recent months due to price increases.

resentment among the population

Since August last year, the government has subsidized the electricity bills of low-income households. These subsidies were already increased in the autumn because of the continuing rise in prices.

Despite this, electricity providers started turning off the power to more than 26,000 households at the end of April because they had not paid the bills. The resentment within the population and the pressure on the government to take countermeasures in this area are correspondingly high.