Citizens will receive the long-awaited climate money from the beginning of 2025. The income from CO2 pricing flows into a state pot of money.
The state pays this income back to the citizens every year - and the same amount for everyone. In addition to politicians from the traffic light coalition, the opposition and several economists have recently spoken out in favor of climate money. According to the federal government's 2021 coalition agreement, the rising CO2 price is “linked to strong social compensation” and is intended to support people with low incomes in particular. In an open letter dated January 17, 2024, numerous environmental, climate and consumer protection associations put pressure on the climate money to be paid out during this legislative period. An exact period for the payment was not known; at one point it was rumored that the climateMoney payment could not be made until 2027. But government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said they are working hard to create the technical requirements more quickly. In the period afterwards, decisions will be made about the design.