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Responsibility tug of war: Finance Minister Christian Lindner (l, FDP) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens)
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The controversial gas levy is to be introduced on October 1, but it may not come after all.
In the traffic light, there are several voices calling for replacing the gas levy with a gas price brake.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) said on Sunday evening in the ARD program "Anne Will" that he had an idea for financing such a brake - but he did not want to spread it to the public, but first discussed it with the coalition partners of the SPD and the Greens.
The end of the gas surcharge is therefore considered almost certain.
It was actually supposed to support gas importers who have high costs for replacement purchases due to the lack of Russian deliveries.
The surcharge for all gas users is currently set at around 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour of natural gas – making gas more expensive for customers.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) sees financial constitutional issues to be clarified, and Finance Minister Lindner also casts doubt on the instrument.
»Politically on shaky feet«
In view of the increasing doubts in the coalition, SPD party leader Saskia Esken expects the controversial gas levy to end this week.
"I am firmly convinced that we will come to the end of the gas levy this week," said Esken on Sunday evening in the ARD "Report from Berlin".
She also spoke out in favor of nationalizing the energy suppliers.
Esken's co-leader Lars Klingbeil also saw the gas levy as "politically on shaky ground" and expected that its fate would be decided next week.
"It is clear that we must have the strength to discuss this openly and, if necessary, to correct ourselves." In the end, Habeck, as the responsible minister, had to say how the gas levy would continue.
Green leader Ricarda Lang said the gas surcharge could go away as soon as the Ministry of Finance was willing to come up with an alternative.
"This alternative means: financing from budget funds," said Lang.
The problem: The debt brake enshrined in the Basic Law stipulates that the federal and state governments must always balance their budgets without loans.
Because of Corona, the debt brake in the federal government was suspended for three years.
Finance Minister Lindner wants to stick to the debt brake.
The head of the FDP explained: "One mustn't forget: the debts that we incur today will have to be serviced and repaid at some point.
Then, in case of doubt, we face very high burdens, including tax increases.«
FDP is pushing for AKW runtime extension
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr said this morning in the Rheinische Post that "the debt brake is a brake on inflation and is therefore the best instrument for mitigating price increases".
You have to get to the root of the problem.
»The prices are so high because there is not enough energy.
A price brake on the electricity and gas markets, combined with an expansion of the energy supply, is the right answer,” Dürr explained.
»A gas price brake must therefore come in combination with an extension of the lifetime of the nuclear power plants.«
Actually, all German nuclear power plants should go offline by the end of the year.
Habeck's plans envisage keeping two power plants operational until mid-April in the event of energy shortages - but that's not enough for the FDP.
Green party leader Britta Haßelmann opposed linking the two issues.
It is the task of the coalition to support citizens as well as companies with the increased energy costs, she told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
The Minister of Finance must take money in hand for this.
mrc/dpa
