Cabinet approves relief package for citizens
Created: 2022-04-27Updated: 2022-04-27 12:21 PM
Have agreed on the relief package: Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner in the Federal Cabinet.
© Michael Kappeler/dpa-POOL/dpa
Energy prices have risen sharply in this country because of the Ukraine war.
The government is therefore reducing, among other things, the energy tax, increasing child benefit and introducing a one-off public transport discount.
Berlin - Due to the sharp rise in energy prices, the federal cabinet has decided on a billion-euro relief package for citizens.
Among other things, the energy tax on fuel is to be reduced for a limited period of three months.
Employed persons who are subject to income tax are to receive a one-time lump sum of 300 euros gross to compensate for the high energy costs.
The child benefit is to be increased once by 100 euros per child.
From June, a 9-euro monthly ticket for local and regional transport will also be valid nationwide for three months.
The heads of the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP agreed on this relief package at the end of March.
A first package had already been decided in February, which, among other things, provides for the abolition of the EEG levy on the electricity bill from July.
Next, the Bundestag advises on the plans.
Budget update: 39.2 billion new debt
The Federal Cabinet has approved the supplementary budget presented by Finance Minister Lindner with almost 40 billion euros in additional debt.
The German Press Agency in Berlin learned this from government circles.
The money is primarily intended to finance a relief package intended to mitigate the consequences of the Ukraine war for citizens and companies.
Overall, the federal government wants to take on 138.9 billion euros in new debt this year.
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Economists are calling for an energy flat rate for pensioners too
The budget draft for 2022 is actually already being discussed in the Bundestag, now it is getting a subsequent update.
Among other things, the costs for taking in refugees from the Ukraine, the planned reduction in energy taxes on fuel and the energy price flat rate of 300 euros for employees subject to income tax are now taken into account.
In addition, 5 billion euros are earmarked for economic aid and 1.45 billion euros for humanitarian aid.
dpa