Rising energy prices are a burden for many consumers.
Minister of Economics Habeck now wants to help you financially with an immediate child bonus.
Berlin – Economics Minister Robert Habeck wants to alleviate the burden on citizens caused by high energy prices with an “immediate surcharge for children”.
He considers this "absolutely necessary as a targeted measure," said the Green politician to
Der Spiegel
.
That could “relieve the acute pressure”.
Previously, Greens parliamentary group Vice Lisa Paus had brought an immediate child bonus for low earners into play.
This is part of an overall package by the traffic light coalition, which, in addition to the division of the CO₂ price for heating costs between tenants and landlords and the fastest possible abolition of the EEG surcharge, should also include a heating cost subsidy.
Habeck is currently examining whether the abolition of the EEG surcharge from 2023 can be brought forward by half a year.
This reduction is to be passed on by the electricity companies to their customers.
Habeck emphasized in
Der Spiegel
that prices are rising mainly due to the increased demand for fossil fuels.
"It's primarily fossil inflation, if you will," he told the magazine.
It is all the more important "to expand renewables in order to overcome dependence on fossil energy".
This would allow "inflationary pressure to be limited in the long term".
Robert Habeck: Price increases "must not remain without consequences"
Habeck had already announced “legal changes” on the energy market at the beginning of the week.
At an energy conference in Berlin, he said that "there can't simply be consequences" if consumers in good faith accepted what they thought was a cheap offer from an energy provider, which has now become considerably more expensive.
Therefore, the electricity and gas market must be made more transparent.
Recently, energy prices had risen sharply, especially for customers of discounter providers.
These had often offered cheap prices with a term of one year, but stopped supplying their customers in part due to the extreme price increases on the energy market.
Consumers then had to switch to their basic suppliers, which usually have significantly higher tariffs.
The actions of the discounter providers are considered legally questionable.
(sh/AFP)