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Government austerity plans hit Western Pomerania particularly hard

The federal government's austerity plans are being criticized in many places. Vorpommern-Greifswald's district administrator sees his region as being particularly affected and cites several reasons.

Michael Sack (CDU), District Administrator of Vorpommern-Greifswald, looks into the camera. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
Michael Sack (CDU), District Administrator of Vorpommern-Greifswald, looks into the camera. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

According to the district administrator - Government austerity plans hit Western Pomerania particularly hard

According to the district administrator of Vorpommern-Greifswald, the federal government's latest austerity plans will place a particular burden on his region. "This is really hitting us hard," Michael Sack (CDU) told journalists in Greifswald on Wednesday. "It will take an incredible amount of money out of the region."

He referred, for example, to the elimination of the previously planned relief on grid fees. "This will have a huge impact on our citizens, our companies and our administration because it will increase our electricity prices." In his region in particular, the expansion of renewable energies is being accelerated, for example through solar power or wind power. However, there is a lack of incentive locally to continue building wind turbines and power lines. "Because we only end up paying for it."

The leaders of the traffic light coalition want to cancel a planned billion-euro subsidy for grid fees due to a budget ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. The fees are a component of the electricity price. The removal of the subsidy for grid fees is likely to lead to higher electricity prices. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's head of government Manuela Schwesig (SPD), among others, has repeatedly called for a revision of the grid fees in the past. These are comparatively high in the north.

The planned increase in the CO2 tax also affects Western Pomerania in particular, said Sack. "Because the long distances have to be driven here." Local public transport is not as available as elsewhere. "This hits rural areas particularly hard." Added to this is the low wage level in the region compared to other parts of Germany. "That always hits these people particularly hard."

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Source: www.stern.de

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