Consumer advice center wants 139 euros climate money for everyone

Household - Consumer advice center wants 139 euros climate money for everyone

To relieve the burden of high energy prices, the consumer associations are calling for a climate money of 139 euros for every citizen. Consumers have already been paying a surcharge on gas, oil and fuel since 2021 due to the CO2 price without receiving sufficient relief in return, argued Thomas Engelke from the Federation of German Consumer Organizations on ARD. The CO2 price will continue to rise in the coming year. "We demand that the government does everything it can to ensure that a climate money is introduced as quickly as possible."

The climate money is a concept in the coalition agreement between the SPD, Greens and FDP. According to this, a "social compensation mechanism" is to be created to compensate for an increase in the price of CO2. The German government argues that citizens would already be relieved because the state would cover the EEG levy in the electricity price. Almost all of the revenue from the CO2 price would therefore flow back to the people.

According to the consumer associations, however, this does not work out. The government's total income from the CO2 price is significantly higher than the direct relief. The vzbv calculates that consumers would have to receive climate money of 139 euros to compensate for the past three years. For a family of four, that would be 556 euros. "I would like to see that in consumers' accounts," said energy expert Engelke.

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1. The 'Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband' (Federation of German Consumer Organizations) and other consumer centers are pushing for the distribution of 'climate money', amounting to 139 euros per citizen, to help alleviate the impact of rising energy prices.
2. In the context of the 'coalition agreement' between the SPD, Greens, and FDP, a 'social compensation mechanism' is proposed to mitigate price increases resulting from the CO2 price.
3. According to Thomas Engelke, an energy expert from the 'Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband', the current state relief measures do not adequately offset the financial burden imposed by the CO2 price on households.
4. Engelke argues that the German government should implement the 'climate money' concept at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure fair compensation for consumers who have been paying energy surcharges since 2021.
5. Berlin-based consumer advocacy groups contend that the total revenue accrued by the German government from the CO2 price far surpasses the direct economic relief provided to households.
6. In light of this discrepancy, the 'Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband' and other consumer centers urge the introduction of 'climate money' amounting to 139 euros per individual to compensate for the increased energy prices experienced over the past three years.

Source: www.stern.de