The gas surcharge is intended to protect gas importers from bankruptcy. However, even healthy companies are fundamentally entitled to support services. That should change.
According to its own statements, the federal government is currently examining possible corrections to the controversial gas levy. “It’s about checking whether there can be regulations that make it more difficult for companies with profits to claim the levy,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics on Friday in Berlin.
Check that now, it has to be legally secure. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had already made a similar statement on Thursday. The levy itself is still important because it serves to stabilize the market, said the spokeswoman.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit added: “At the moment, questions are being raised that are completely justified, namely companies that actually don’t need to benefit from it? That is being tried to be ruled out.” He spoke of a difficult legal examination that had to be awaited. If such an exclusion is not legally possible, Hebestreit said it would remain the case that companies could be appealed to, for example, to follow the example of RWE and Shell and not perceive the levy. Both had declared that they wanted to bear losses themselves.
The gas surcharge is intended to compensate for the sharply increased procurement costs of large importers due to lower Russian deliveries. These should be saved from bankruptcy. All gas customers should pay an additional 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour, private households as well as companies. About half of all apartments in Germany are heated with gas. However, there is criticism of the levy – because companies that are doing well economically could also benefit from it.
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.
