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Economics Minister Habeck on Monday in Berlin
Photo:
ODD ANDERSEN v AFP
From autumn, gas customers in Germany will have to dig deeper into their pockets.
In addition to energy prices that are already rising, consumers will have to pay the state gas surcharge of 2.419 cents per kilowatt hour from the beginning of October.
The amount of the surcharge was announced on Monday according to calculations by Trading Hub Europe, a joint venture of the gas transmission system operators in Germany.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has now justified the levy as "targeted" and "limited in time".
The surcharge, which gas customers now have to pay, has been strictly checked by the Federal Network Agency.
The surcharge is a "bitter medicine", but at the same time the fairest form of sharing and bearing the additional costs incurred among the population.
According to Habeck, the alternative was the collapse of the German energy market.
The surcharge should expire on April 1, 2024.
Over the years, Germany has developed a business model based on dependence on Russian gas.
"This model failed and it won't come back," said Habeck.
The task now is to quickly put an alternative plan in place.
The gas surcharge is intended to benefit gas suppliers who have to buy a replacement for the lack of cheaper gas volumes from Russia at high prices.
Habeck gave calculations according to which the additional costs for a single household would amount to 97 euros per year.
For a four-person household with a gas consumption of 12,000 kilowatt hours, the additional costs would be 290 euros per year.
"For many people, these will be increases that do not endanger poverty, for others they will," said Habeck.
It is now necessary to relieve the latter, said the minister.
He also announced alternative relief measures should it not succeed in eliminating the value added tax on the gas surcharge.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had asked for an exception at EU level so that Germany would not have to levy VAT on the planned state gas levy.
"If that doesn't work, we will create appropriate compensation mechanisms," said Habeck.
Habeck sees Russian arguments for missing deliveries unmasked
"The turbine and the delivery of the turbine was, is, and always will be an excuse for Gazprom or Putin," said Habeck.
The device and all papers for delivery to Russia are available.
This revealed that the Russian side was citing advanced reasons for the lack of deliveries.
fek/dpa
