Energy costs - Climate money: Göring-Eckardt wants financing via the super-rich
In the budget dispute, Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt is calling for the swift introduction of the announced climate money, which is intended to relieve citizens of energy costs. The assets of the "extremely rich" should be used to finance it, the Bundestag Vice-President told the German Press Agency. "The coalition has firmly agreed on the climate money. It must come in 2024."
The climate money is included in the coalition agreement of the coalition government from 2021. It could offer citizens compensation for the fact that the price of carbon dioxide emissions is gradually rising and making heating and driving more expensive, among other things. However, there are doubts as to whether the climate money can be financed due to the billion-euro holes in the budget.
Financing via a levy on assets
Göring-Eckardt said in an interview with dpa: "How do we finance this when everything in the budget is on the edge? There is one source of funding that we have not yet approached, and that is the extremely wealthy with their super assets and super incomes." A wealth levy or a reformed wealth tax would be conceivable.
"We have 40 million households in Germany," said the Green politician. "This includes around 4300 households that belong to these super-rich. These 0.01 percent of the population should make their contribution to the country, especially in times of crisis."
Last week, the leaders of the traffic light coalition agreed on a budget package that is intended to plug billions of euros of gaps following a historic ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. This means that the CO2 price will rise more than planned in 2024, from 30 to 45 euros per tonne.
Göring-Eckardt: Don't fall for the scaremongers
Göring-Eckardt defended this decision: "After the constitutional court ruling, this is now necessary. The increase in the CO2 price only amounts to a few cents for fuel. This is not pleasant, but it is within the known price fluctuations at the pump." Nobody needs to worry about no longer being able to heat their home or drive their car. "You shouldn't fall for the scaremongers," said the Green politician.
However, she added: "Of course, my path would have been different, namely reforming the debt brake." It was not only financial debt that would burden future generations, but also "climate debt" and broken infrastructure. "Now all partners bear responsibility for the country and for ensuring that things are fair. And Christian Lindner is now also talking about adjusting the debt brake."
SPD adheres to the introduction of a climate fee
SPD leader Saskia Esken is also sticking to the introduction of a climate fee. At the same time, however, the debt brake must be reformed in order to have sufficient leeway for necessary investments in infrastructure, Esken told the German Press Agency in an interview. The revenue from the CO2 price is not yet high enough to finance these tasks alone.
Esken emphasized that the first steps towards a disbursement mechanism for the climate money had already been taken. "And this must now be pursued further so that, if the CO2 price continues to rise, we also have the opportunity to compensate for this in the coming years," she said. It must not happen that households with low and medium incomes bear the main burden of climate protection.
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- The Green Party's Katrin Göring-Eckardt suggests utilizing the wealth of the "extremely rich" to finance the announced climate money, which is aimed at easing energy costs for citizens as per the coalition agreement.
- The debate over financing the climate money, due in 2024, has arisen due to budgetary concerns, with objections to the potential billion-euro deficit.
- Göring-Eckardt proposes a wealth levy or a reformed wealth tax as a means to fund the climate money, mentioning the 4300 super-rich households in Germany as potential contributors.
- In her interview with the German Press Agency, Eckardt emphasized the importance of the climate money in compensating for the rising CO2 price and its impact on energy costs, including heating and driving.
- Saskia Esken, SPD leader, concurs with the introduction of a climate fee and calls for a reformed debt brake to ensure sufficient funding for necessary infrastructure investments.
- The traffic light coalition agreed last week on a budget package to fill billion-euro gaps after a court ruling, pushing the CO2 price rise from 30 to 45 euros per tonne in 2024.
- Göring-Eckardt reassures citizens that the increase in CO2 price would only result in slight changes at the pump, stressing that there is no reason to worry about affordability issues with energy costs, such as heating or driving a car.
Source: www.stern.de
