VdK criticizes unequal treatment: lawsuit against energy price flat rate

Status: 05.06.2022 00:50 a.m

After the 9-euro ticket and fuel discount, citizens should be relieved from September with the energy price flat rate. The problem: pensioners and students get nothing. That’s why the VdK now wants to sue.

The social association VdK is planning a model lawsuit against unequal treatment in the new energy flat rate. “Poor pensioners, but also caring relatives, people who receive sickness or parental benefits, get nothing,” criticized VdK chairwoman Verena Bentele in the “Bild am Sonntag”. This violates the principle of equality. “That’s why we plan to sue against this injustice,” said the head of the association.

The VdK represents the interests of more than 2.1 million members. The association has long criticized the distribution of relief measures as “unfair”. If the social association has its way, it would be fair if everyone, without exception, received the energy flat rate. Even those who receive basic security or Hartz IV.

Part of the relief package

The energy lump sum of 300 euros for employees who are required to pay an income, which is to be paid out in September, is one of the federal government’s relief measures. These were decided by the traffic light coalition in view of rising prices for energy and other goods, and the Bundestag and Bundesrat approved the measures last month.

The measures also include a fuel discount, a one-off payment for Hartz IV recipients of 200 euros, an immediate surcharge for children in low-income households of more than 20 euros per month and a one-off child bonus of 100 euros per child for all families.

The DGB is also critical of the energy price flat rate

The German trade union federation had previously criticized the energy price lump sum: “Pensioners and students must not go away empty-handed. They should also get the energy lump sum of 300 euros,” demanded chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi. In an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group, she also called for “a temporary reduction in VAT for energy and a gas price cap for all households”.

There was also criticism of the measure from politics and science: “I would also think it would make more sense if everyone had been paid this energy flat rate,” confirms Sebastian Dullien. He is an economist and is the director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research of the Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf. “We also pointed out this gap. The legislature should improve it again.”

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