The European Commission wants to spare German consumers the additional burden of VAT on the gas surcharge.

The EU authority made it clear on Tuesday that the EU VAT Directive does not allow surcharges such as the gas surcharge as such to be exempted from VAT.

Henrik Kafsack

Business correspondent in Brussels.

  • Follow I follow

However, a spokesman made it clear: "But we share with Germany the desire that the introduction of the gas levy will not have any unwanted tax consequences." The Commission is in close contact with the German government to find a solution from which gas customers will benefit and which has the same effect on them as the exemption from VAT requested by the Federal Government.

The chief spokeswoman for the commission added that no specific information could yet be given as to the best way to achieve this.

The aim is to find a solution as quickly as possible.

At the end of last week, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) asked the Commission in a letter to make an exception to the obligation to levy VAT on the levy.

This is 2.419 cents per kilowatt hour.

With 19 percent VAT, this becomes 2.879 cents.

The federal government has already announced that it will look for other ways to relieve customers if necessary.