The energy prices are rising, the traffic light controls against it: The Federal Council votes for the relief package, which is intended to help citizens through the crisis: There are discounts, especially for traffic and electricity costs.
Finally, the Federal Council discussed numerous legislative projects of the traffic light coalition to relieve the burden on citizens. The measures are intended to bring financial relief in the areas of taxes, energy and transport and to relieve families and poorer people. The plans in detail:
300 euros energy flat rate for employed persons
Employees and the self-employed get an additional 300 euros because of the increased travel costs to work. The so-called energy price flat rate is to be transferred with the salary in September or October. The self-employed should be able to deduct the flat rate from the tax advance payment in September.
tax cuts
Retroactive to January 1, the basic allowance for income tax will be increased by EUR 363 to EUR 10,347, the commuter allowance for a commute of more than 21 kilometers will increase from 35 to 38 cents per kilometer and the flat-rate income tax allowance will increase from EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,200. These changes result in fewer taxes being deducted from income.
9-Euro-Ticket
In June, July and August, all citizens can use buses and trains for nine euros a month. The sale of cheap monthly tickets is starting these days. They apply to local and regional transport, not long-distance trains such as ICE, EC or IC.
fuel price reduction
Parallel to the nine-euro ticket, the extremely high fuel prices from June to August are to be pushed down by lowering the energy tax. Gasoline could thus become around 35 cents cheaper per liter and diesel around 17 cents per liter.
electricity price relief
After more than 20 years, the so-called EEG levy will no longer apply from July. It was introduced in 2000 to finance the promotion of wind or solar systems. Customers pay the levy on their electricity bill. It is currently 3.72 cents per kilowatt hour. Experts do not expect electricity prices to fall as a result of the abolition, but at least a dampening of the sharp increase.
More money for the needy
Anyone who is dependent on financial help from the state gets more money: Recipients of social assistance or unemployment benefit II receive a one-time payment of 200 euros in July, for children in poorer families the monthly payments increase by 20 euros from July. Recipients of unemployment benefit I also receive a one-off payment of 100 euros.
children’s bonus
There should be a €100 child bonus for every child for whom child benefit is paid. Such additional payments already existed in the Corona years 2020 and 2021. The payment runs automatically and is expected to come in July.
Two Energy Security Laws
The state chamber also approved two laws on energy security, which, according to the Greens, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, “cannot be overestimated in their importance”. The background is the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The law aims to speed up the construction of floating and fixed LNG terminals by allowing permitting authorities to temporarily omit certain procedural steps, particularly environmental impact assessments. The project aims to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian gas.
A reform of the Energy Security Act also provides that the state will have easier access to energy companies in the future if there is a risk of significant supply bottlenecks. If there is a “concrete risk” that a company will not fulfill its tasks and the security of supply is threatened, the reformed law can temporarily place it under trusteeship. As a last resort, the possibility of expropriation is even created.
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