Citizens should get even more money from the state, but many see this as a big trap
Created: 06/09/2022, 16:28
By: Jason Blaschke
Energy prices weigh on consumers.
In the traffic light coalition, new measures are under discussion that should relieve many citizens even more.
Berlin – Consumers and the economy are groaning under the high energy prices.
The price of oil alone has recently increased significantly and is currently in the three-digit range at USD 124.08 per barrel (as of June 9) for the North Sea variety Brent.
Consumers in Germany feel this in their own energy consumption, but also in retail, where the prices for many everyday products have risen significantly since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
These reliefs have been in effect since June 1 due to high energy prices
In an interview with
BW24
, Eckhard Heuser, Managing Director of the Dairy Industry Association (MIV), named the expensive energy costs in his industry as an important reason for the expensive and scarce dairy products in retail.
He assumes that consumers have only reached part of the price increases.
"The rest is yet to come, by July 1, 2022 at the latest." In order to relieve the burden on citizens in this situation, the government put together a relief package.
Fuel discount, 9-euro ticket, energy flat-rate – since June 1, consumers have been able to take advantage of several savings that can either be paid out automatically or, like the 9-euro ticket, can be purchased.
And if you use the relief package cleverly and combine the individual measures, you can also get money from the state as a pensioner or trainee.
But criticism is often voiced that the relief is just a drop in the ocean.
More money from the state: SPD and FDP present ideas for new relief
"Discharge?
I'm laughing my ass off!
Where is the discharge at the pump?” writes a Facebook user.
“These are not gifts from politicians to citizens.
These are just redistributions,” says another.
And there is also agreement in politics that after the relief comes before the relief.
The citizens should be even more financially relieved - only about the "how" is not yet agreed in the traffic light coalition.
In an interview with the
Passauer Neue Presse
, finance minister Christian Lindner (FDP) proposed a tax reform that should come into effect as early as next year.
Lindner proposes reducing wage and income tax instead of relying on social climate money, as Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had brought into play.
The idea of the SPD politician: to support people with a gross income of up to 4,000 euros per month from the tax fund.
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The Greens, on the other hand, are not averse to the idea of climate money, in view of the statement made by their chairman Omid Nouripour, but make it clear: “With climate money, we will make sure that climate is included.” Such financial relief should “also have a steering effect on climate protection have,” Nouripour told
the Funke media group newspapers
.
He does not see this effect in the previous proposals from the SPD and FDP.
Everyone agrees that new relief should come quickly.
If it is up to SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich, the decisions should be made before the parliamentary summer break.
He could imagine paying the 300 euros energy flat rate to pensioners as well.
In an interview with
t-online
, Mützenich also confirmed that the middle of society in particular still needed further relief.
We shouldn't be watering society all over again.
Bodo Ramelow, Prime Minister of Thuringia
Facebook users are critical of new relief – “window dressing”
kreiszeitung.de
reports in a service article on the relief package, which came into effect on June 1,
when the energy flat-rate should first be paid out to employees .
According to the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, it is important for upcoming relief packages that consumers are permanently relieved of expensive energy prices.
"But we shouldn't go over the whole of society with the watering can again," said Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) in the
Tagesspiegel
.
Different approaches, one goal - the topic of relief will certainly provide plenty to talk about in the coming weeks.
What is certain is that consumers can hope for even more money from the state.
Something that some users on Facebook sharply criticize.
One user writes that "taxpayers would have to pay for any relief".
Even the energy flat rate is a "window wipe", since pensioners are not taken into account, he continues.