Germany will apply a tax on gas consumption from October
In October, a tax on gas consumption will be applied in Germany as recently announced by the Minister of Economy
The rate planned in Germany for all final gas consumers will be applied from October 1st, sources from the Ministry of the Economy announced today.
The exact amount of the surcharge will be published online in mid- to late-August and will depend on compensation requests made by gas importers, it added.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck estimates that it will cost consumers several hundred euros per household per year. The amount of the rate has not yet been specified, but it will be between 1.5 and 5 euro cents per kilowatt hour (same value in dollars), said the Greens party politician.
Secure gas supply
The Government argues that the rate is necessary to ensure energy supply, so that no supplier has to declare insolvency due to the increase in its costs due to the sharp rise in gas purchase prices due to cuts in Russian supplies.
Companies can use it in this way to transfer part of their higher costs to final consumers, and the Government has promised aid for households that, because of the increases, fall below the poverty line. “This is not a good step, but it is a necessary step,” Habeck said without elaborating.
Last week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned a gas price increase of two cents per kilowatt hour and spoke of additional charges of 200 or 300 euros a year for a family of four.
In contrast, the price comparison portal Check24 calculates additional costs of 476 euros for an annual consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours and a rate of two cents, a price that includes value added tax. The rate will apply for a year and a half, that is, until the end of March 2024. About half of German homes are heated by gas.
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Source: dpa
