Do I have to pay the gas surcharge from Saturday?
Consumers need to know that now
Created: 09/30/2022, 04:47
By: Victoria Krumbeck
September is drawing to a close and consumers still don't know if the gas surcharge is coming.
Experts give tips on how gas customers can prepare.
Munich - is she coming or not?
While politicians are still debating, consumers are waiting for clear announcements.
The gas levy seems to be on the brink.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is to introduce the gas levy on October 1st.
With just a few days to go before the start date, consumers still don't know whether or not to expect even higher heating bills for the winter.
Two experts explain what gas customers should expect.
Gas levy from October - do I have to pay it?
Consumers need to know that now
The gas surcharge is intended to relieve importers of the high prices.
Should the gas surcharge really come, gas customers will have to pay 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) net - households and companies will be affected.
So what will change for consumers if prices rise from October?
And will she come at all?
Holger Schneidewindt, from the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, assumes that the gas surcharge will first come into effect for a few months and then be abolished again, as he
told
Bild.de.
Illustration of a gas meter and gas bill.
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
When the surcharge comes, gas customers should keep one important thing in mind when transferring the bill.
The sum should be paid with the note “under reserve”, as the specialist lawyer for consumer law, Arndt Kempgens, explained to the
picture
.
The subject line should then say “Payment subject to change”.
The amount without the gas surcharge must be paid in any case, according to the lawyer.
"Because of the additional amounts, ask the supplier in writing or by e-mail," he added.
Gas surcharge: Failure to pay could result in gas blockage and termination
If the invoice is not paid in full, it is advisable to announce the reduction in the invoice in writing.
This signals to the provider that you are fundamentally willing to make a payment.
If the bill is not paid, there will be consequences.
“If you don't pay your utility what they ask, that's arrears.
Then there is a risk of gas blockage and termination, ”explained consumer advocate Schneidewindt.
If the gas levy fails, the price increases and discounts still apply if they were justified with the gas levy, explained Kempgens.
"Both must be considered separately and unfortunately both can come."
Courts must decide on the admissibility of the gas surcharge
The consumer advocate sees it a little more uncertainly.
“Even if the gas surcharge comes, there will still be big question marks as to whether it will actually be effective.
Because the circle of beneficiaries is too large, the pot is too large and with it the levy.
Ultimately, the courts will have to decide whether the levy is inadmissible,” he classifies the situation.
If the gas levy ceases to apply retrospectively, the conditional payment can be deducted from the next bill, as the lawyer confirms again.
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