From BZ/dpa
In order to relieve the citizens in view of the sharp rise in energy prices, the SPD parliamentary group leadership is aiming, among other things, for direct payments, a price brake for basic energy requirements and a nationwide 49-euro ticket.
This emerges from a draft resolution for an SPD parliamentary group retreat on September 1 and 2, about which the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Monday) first reported and which is also available to the German Press Agency.
The direct payments – similar to the energy money of 300 euros that will soon be paid out – have not yet been specified in more detail. However, they should be given to people with low and middle incomes, families, pensioners, students, trainees and recipients of unemployment benefits. “For the payment, we expect a proposal from the Federal Ministry of Finance linked to the tax ID and income as soon as possible,” says the paper.
The SPD leadership would like to see power and gas cuts ruled out. For tenants who cannot pay their ancillary costs from the 2021/2022 billing periods, there should be protection against dismissal for six months from the billing and also if advance payments are not made.
The paper also envisages a successor to the nine-euro local transport ticket: “In cooperation with the federal states, we want to introduce a nationwide public transport ticket with a monthly price of 49 euros, 50 percent of which is borne by the federal and state governments. “
It is also required to suspend the planned increase in the CO2 price for two years “until there is a socially just compensation mechanism”. According to the current status, the CO2 price is to increase from 25 to 30 euros per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in 2022.
Germany
The SPD parliamentarians want to set up a protective shield for municipal energy suppliers in order to prevent insolvencies. The gas surcharge of 2.4 cents, which gas customers are to pay from October, is to be readjusted so that companies that make profits do not also benefit. “At the same time, we want to distribute the costs of the crisis fairly. A suitable instrument for this is a targeted excess profit tax for those energy companies that are benefiting massively from this crisis.
Despite the energy crisis, a real life extension for nuclear power plants is rejected. A stretching operation – i.e. operation of the last three plants still producing until the existing fuel rods are used up – is not ruled out, but “existing safety standards should apply”.
The proposals of the parliamentary group leadership still have to be decided by the SPD parliamentarians and then have to be negotiated with the coalition partners. They leak before the cabinet meeting this Tuesday and Wednesday.
