Energy prices have skyrocketed since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The providers should therefore be taxed – preferably quickly, as demanded by the Greens and Leftists in Thuringia.
Erfurt (dpa/th) – Thuringia’s Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund (Greens) sees the federal government on the train in taxing special profits of the energy companies in view of the price jumps after the Russian attack on Ukraine. “We now need a proposal from the federal government for a temporary excess profit tax,” said Siegesund on Tuesday in Erfurt. The state chairmen of the left, Ulrike Grosse-Röthig and Christian Schaft, made similar statements.
The minister said it was unacceptable that mineral oil companies would not pass on falling prices to their customers. “The development is unacceptable if companies are making profits from the war and crisis situation at the expense of consumers.” The tax would be a supplement to controls by the Federal Network Agency and the Federal Cartel Office.
Thuringia supports Bremen’s plans to tax special profits from mineral oil companies for a limited period of time. “Thuringia will join a corresponding application from Bremen in the Bundesrat,” Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) recently said. The state will thus become a co-applicant on this issue in the state chamber. Bremen has announced such an application for June 10th.
The state chairwoman of the left, Ulrike Grosse-Röthig, referred to the EU Commission’s proposal to introduce an extraordinary tax for those who profited from the crisis. The FDP and its finance minister, Christian Lindner, should not block this, Grosse-Röthig’s co-chairman also demanded.
In addition to Ramelow, Finance Minister Heike Taubert (SPD) had spoken out in favor of taxing excess profits from energy companies in addition to antitrust controls.