Union demands relief for oil and pellets – Habeck is heading in the other direction
Robert Habeck (Greens), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection
Source: picture alliance / Flashpic
There are calls from the Union to relieve people who heat with oil or wood pellets. But Habeck’s Ministry of Economics wants to reduce the funding – and link it to the use of solar thermal energy. There is good news for some pensioners.
NNorth Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst spoke out in favor of quick relief for the citizens. In an interview with WELT AM SONNTAG, the CDU politician said: “The gas price brake must come earlier. We need stable protection against high stress for people beyond the turn of the year. A winter gap in protection would be negligent.”
However, there should be no gaps in justice. “Reliefs for oil and pellets are also imperatives of fairness – especially towards people in rural areas. A sensible way would be to reduce VAT on these products,” said Wüst.
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt supports the request. WELT AM SONNTAG he said: “We urgently need energy price relief for electricity and gas and also for other heat carriers such as heating oil and wood pellets.” This is also necessary for social cohesion. “Financial overstrain would lead to new protests and aggression and thus promote the radical parties. The traffic light must not ignore that.” The relief for users of wood and pellet stoves also finds support from Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and the SPD parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Rolf Mützenich.
However, the Federal Ministry of Economics rejects further aid for this form of heat energy; on the contrary, it wants to further reduce the previous support. The house of department head Robert Habeck (Greens) aims to link financial subsidies for new wood and pellet stoves to stricter technical requirements in the “Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings” in the future and to make a combination with solar thermal energy on the roof a condition.
The Federal Association of the Heating Industry, together with the German Energy Wood and Pellet Association, is already warning of a “social imbalance” and a setback in climate protection if the ministry implements these plans. “The planned change will primarily affect socially disadvantaged homeowners, whose buildings are often in poor energy condition and have a high heat requirement,” the associations warn in a letter to the federal government.
Double energy price flat rate for some pensioners
At least for some of the pensioners there is now a clear financial aid. According to information from WELT AM SONNTAG, around 2.15 million pensioners will receive the energy price flat rate of 300 euros twice. “Around 2.05 million pensioners are entitled to the energy price flat rate as employees and as pension recipients,” said the Ministry of Social Affairs. The two services should be considered separately. Pensioners could be “eligible in both groups”.
Federal government launches emergency aid
As a first step, the federal government is implementing the proposals of the expert commission. Now, emergency aid worth billions is being launched. Gas and heat customers are to be released from their advance payments in December.
According to the ministry, the number is made up of 0.9 million pensioners who, despite their retirement, are in employment subject to social security contributions, and 1.15 million who have a mini-job. According to the German pension insurance, there are also 95,000 insured persons who only retire after the energy price flat rate for working people has been paid out in September and before December 1st, the key date for the flat rate for pensioners. The double payments increase the costs of the energy price flat rate for the state by around 640 million euros.
“I cannot understand that the Federal Government and above all the Federal Minister of Labor accept with their eyes that the energy price flat rate will probably lead to double payments for several million pensioners,” said social politician Hermann Gröhe (CDU), Vice-Chairman of the Union faction in the Bundestag. The law was badly made. On top of that, important groups in need of help were forgotten, such as certain accident victims, victims of acts of violence or freelancers.
Clear criticism also comes from the Association of Taxpayers. President Reiner Holznagel said: “Politicians should have taken into account a possible double payment of the energy price flat rate to pensioners from the beginning.” He also criticized the automatism of the payment: “Those who don’t want a double advantage for reasons of fairness can’t do it opt out once or pay back.”
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