With the tax based on the level of CO2 emissions, the traffic light coalition hopes to increase the motivation to renovate and save energy.
From next year, landlords should take over part of the so-called CO2 price – more, the less climate-friendly their house is. The Federal Cabinet approved a corresponding new regulation. The Bundestag still has to agree.
Since last year, the CO2 price has made heating and refueling more expensive and is intended to help reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions. In the future, a ten-step model will apply to the distribution of costs between tenants and landlords. For houses with very high carbon dioxide emissions per square meter, landlords would pay 90 percent of the CO2 price, while tenants with very low emissions would pay the costs themselves. This should encourage landlords to make energy-saving renovations and tenants to save energy.
Consumer advocates are calling for more relief
In the case of houses such as commercial buildings in which no one lives, the costs should initially be divided equally. Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) said: “We protect the environment and thus future generations. Tenants win because they don’t heat for the outside environment. The landlords win because they save costs in the long term.”
The relief for tenants does not go far enough for consumer advocates. There is a “considerable imbalance” at the expense of tenants, said the head of the energy and construction team at the Federal Consumer Association (VZBV), Thomas Engelke, the “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday). Many tenants are already under severe financial pressure due to the energy price crisis. “The federal government must therefore do more to take the pressure off the boiler and to share the costs more fairly.”
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
