Gas: the German bill will increase by several hundred euros – Le Figaro

This increase should enable importers to pass on the rise in prices resulting from the war in Ukraine. The most modest households will however be helped. The annual gas bill for German households will increase by several hundred euros due to the energy crisis, according to data published on Monday, the government however promising to amortize the shock for the most modest. From October 1, importers will be able to charge 2.4 centimes more per kilowatt hour (KWh) of gas from companies and individuals, the organization of network operators Trading Hub Europe (THE) announced on Monday. including VAT, 2.4 cents per KWh represents 600 euros more on the annual bill of a family with two children and an average consumption of 20,000 KWh. The sum is 480 euros excluding taxes. Berlin has promised to “find a way” to exempt this additional levy from VAT, according to the Ministry of the Economy. SEE ALSO – Germany: Scholz promises a new inflation aid package The levy has been put in place place by the government until April 1, 2024 to support gas importers and distributors who have had to buy more expensively on the world market since the war in Ukraine and the drop in Russian deliveries. It must be recalculated every three months. Read also Germany deprived of Russian gas, “an energy bomb” “The objective is to ensure the supply of gas following the German and European energy crisis triggered by the attack Russian from Ukraine,” the ministry explained. Germany has stepped up efforts in recent months to find alternative supplies. More than half of the imported gas came, before the war in Ukraine, from Russia. This share has since risen to 35%. ‘Economy and Climate, at a press conference. “It is a political error to have made oneself dependent on a potentate (…) who despises the rights of man and citizens”, he hammered. To cushion the shock, the levy “ must and will be accompanied by a new aid package”, also promised Robert Habeck. Germany has already put in place aid totaling 30 billion euros to relieve individuals, including discounts at the pump or the popular 9-euro ticket that allows you to travel for a month in the public transport and regional trains. However, the measure stops at the end of August. Read also Germany will lower the heating in its public buildings to 19 degrees Berlin has also planned to inject billions of euros into Uniper, the leading importer and storer of gas in Germany, hit by the brunt of the fall in Russian gas deliveries since mid-June. Conversely, the RWE group has announced that it is waiving its right to pass on the price increase through this surcharge.According to the Kiel Economic Institute, the impact of the additional levy on gas bills on the Inflation, already high in Europe’s largest economy, is expected to rise to 0.9 percentage points by the end of the year. The chemical industry association (VCI), a major consumer of gas, for its part, estimates the annual additional cost caused by this levy at more than 3 billion euros, estimating in a press release that it is a “bitter pill” for industrialists. SEE ALSO – For Olaf Scholz, saving fossil energy will strengthen Germany’s security