The CDU is making a front against the gas surcharge for consumers to support gas importers and wants to overturn it through the Bundestag.

"This gas surcharge should be abolished," said CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja on Wednesday in Berlin after consultations with the Presidium and the Federal Executive Board.

The Union faction will apply in the next week of the Bundestag to withdraw it.

The Bundestag can decide this according to the Energy Security Act.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck then defended the state gas levy.

The Greens politician made it clear that the levy serves to ensure security of supply.

"It is undisputed that this is a painful operation and involves unreasonable demands." The socio-political "imbalances" would have to be compensated for by other measures.

Those who cannot afford the high energy costs and the levy must be financially supported in such a way that energy does not push them into poverty.

"Redistribution from bottom to top"

CDU General Secretary Czaja said: "We consider the gas surcharge to be extremely poorly made, it is also antisocial and it does not reach the right companies that you want to relieve with it." The CDU agrees that the Uniper Group will be supported must.

“But now 3.5 billion euros from the gas levy are to go to companies that made high profits almost consistently in the first half of the year.” In addition, the burdens and relief did not coincide.

The charge will come on October 1 of this year.

On the other hand, it is unclear when the relief will come, for example with housing benefit or with “cold progression”.

Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) spoke in the "Spiegel" of a "chaos levy" and "redistribution from bottom to top", his parliamentary colleague Thomas Heilmann of a "wrong way".

Heilmann advised the traffic light coalition: "Put it together, make it new." Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) warned that deadweight effects should be avoided as far as possible.

Secure social peace

The Lower Saxony City Council is pushing for quick and unbureaucratic relief.

The primary goal must be to ensure cohesion in society and social peace, said association president Frank Klingebiel (CDU), Lord Mayor of Salzgitter, on Wednesday.

Specifically, he suggested that the federal and state governments should bear the costs of 34 billion euros to support gas importers instead of charging consumers with the planned gas surcharge.

"Then we don't need to pass on any burden to the citizens," said Klingebiel.

In order to support gas importers who have to buy replacement gas from Russia at high prices, customers are to pay a state surcharge of 2.419 cents per kilowatt hour from the beginning of October.

This will lead to significantly higher energy costs for them.

To relieve the burden, the federal government wants to reduce the VAT rate on natural gas from the current 19 to 7 percent for a limited period of time.

Money also for economically healthy companies

A total of twelve companies have registered compensation claims totaling 34 billion euros via the levy.

There is criticism from SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert, among others, that economically healthy corporations can also receive money from the levy.

A large part of the sum is to go to Uniper and the former Gazprom Germania.

A rescue package was put together in July to support Uniper.

Among other things, it provides for the federal government to take a 30 percent stake in the company.

A loan from the state development bank KfW was increased to nine billion euros.

The federal government currently sees no need for action with the rescue package, the Ministry of Economic Affairs stated on Wednesday.

As the largest importer of Russian gas, the company continues to struggle with the consequences of gas supply cuts.

Because of the necessary procurement of replacement gas, Uniper has been making losses of more than 60 million euros a day since mid-June, CEO Klaus-Dieter Maubach said recently.

Because large quantities are missing from Russia, the company has to buy extremely expensive gas on the market as a replacement in order to be able to continue supplying gas.