Status: 08/28/2022 9:30 p.m
In the SPD, the plans for a new relief package are apparently taking concrete shape. The parliamentary group has drawn up a package of measures intended to relieve the burden on people with low and middle incomes in particular.
As a reaction to the rapidly increasing energy prices, the SPD parliamentary group leadership is aiming, among other things, for direct payments, a price brake for basic energy requirements and a nationwide 49-euro ticket. This emerges from a draft resolution for a parliamentary group retreat on September 1 and 2, about which the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the dpa news agency, among others, report.
The direct payments – similar to the energy money of 300 euros that will soon be paid out – have not yet been specified in more detail. However, they should be given to people with low and middle incomes, families, pensioners, students, trainees and recipients of unemployment benefits. “For the payment, we expect a proposal from the Federal Ministry of Finance linked to the tax ID and income as soon as possible,” the paper says.
The SPD leadership wants to rule out power and gas cuts. For tenants who cannot pay their ancillary costs from the 2021/2022 billing periods, there should be protection against dismissal for six months from the billing – also if advance payments are not made.
49-euro ticket financed by the federal and state governments
The paper also envisages a successor to the 9-euro ticket: “In cooperation with the federal states, we want to introduce a nationwide public transport ticket with a monthly price of 49 euros, 50 percent of which is borne by the federal and state governments. ”
It is also required to suspend the planned increase in the CO2 price for two years “until there is a socially just compensation mechanism”. According to the current status, the CO2 price is to increase from 25 to 30 euros per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in 2022.
“Excess Profit Tax for Energy Companies”
The SPD parliamentarians want to set up a protective shield for municipal energy suppliers in order to prevent insolvencies. The gas surcharge of 2.4 cents, which gas customers are to pay from October, is to be readjusted so that companies that make profits do not also benefit. “At the same time, we want to distribute the costs of the crisis fairly. A suitable instrument for this is a targeted excess profit tax for those energy companies that are benefiting massively from this crisis,” it continues.
Despite the energy crisis, a lifetime extension for nuclear power plants is rejected. A stretching operation – ie operation of the last three plants still producing until the existing fuel rods are used up – is not ruled out, but “existing safety standards should apply”.
Cabinet retreat in Meseburg on Tuesday and Wednesday
The proposals of the parliamentary group leadership must first be decided by the SPD parliamentarians, then the coalition partners would also have to agree. At least the Greens agree on some points. So also demanded party leader Omid Nouripour im ARD summer interview an excess profit tax and described the discussion about nuclear power plant lifetime extensions as “Kokolores”.
The traffic light partners agree in principle that there should be a third relief package – but the precise form is disputed. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the SPD, Greens and FDP will come together for a cabinet retreat in Meseberg, Brandenburg.
In response to the energy crisis resulting from the Ukraine war, the German government has already launched two relief packages. In a first step, the EEG levy was abolished and a heating subsidy for housing benefit recipients and tax breaks were decided.
The relief measures in the second step include the 9-euro ticket for local transport, the fuel discount, the energy flat-rate of 300 euros for employed persons and a one-off payment per child of 100 euros and 200 euros for recipients of social benefits.