Energy crisis in Germany: gas price brake instead of gas surcharge?

The traffic light coalition buried the gas surcharge in view of the rapidly increasing energy costs of the citizens.

After Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had already raised legal doubts, Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) also moved away from the project on Sunday.

“When it comes to the gas levy, I am less concerned with the legal question and more and more with the question of economic sense,” he explained.

Instead of making gas more expensive, you need a price brake.

Lindner, who had not previously publicly criticized the levy, justified his statement in the "Bild am Sonntag" with the high burden: "We have a gas levy that increases the price.

But we need a gas price brake that lowers the price.” Overall, one must ensure that the price peaks for the bakeries up to the pensioner are bearable, he added on Sunday evening in the ARD.

"For me, a gas price brake is no reason to make an exception to the debt rule for the federal budget again." Both would have to be financed: the levy with revenues of over 30 billion euros to support importers as well as price containment for customers.

How specifically this gas price brake could be implemented was left open by Lindner and also referred to the Minister of Economics.

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) was also skeptical in the FAZ about suspending the debt brake again: This would mean “that future generations would have to pay for today’s expenses.

That's not my approach.

Personally, I would prefer a solution through redistribution.” As President of the Bundestag, she does not want to get involved in day-to-day business.

"But I can say that people like me and people with even more wealth can be taxed more heavily."

Lindner: link the gas price brake to the nuclear power plant runtime extension

However, Lindner went one step further in his demand and linked it to the question of extending the nuclear power plant's service life: "A gas price brake must be decided in combination with measures such as the extension of nuclear energy so that we can have the best effect." The energy supply must be expanded to bring prices down.

This also applies to electricity tariffs.

Green party leader Britta Haßelmann opposed linking the two issues.

It is the task of the coalition to support citizens as well as companies with the increased energy costs, she told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

The Minister of Finance must take money in hand for this.

It is "absurd to want to make a tie-in deal with an extension of terms".

Habeck himself had recently only spoken of a bridge when it came to the levy until another solution was found.

On Sunday, he only indirectly addressed the debate about the abolition: all the state's financial strength had to be used to lead the economy through the crisis and to ensure social cohesion.

His Green Party leader Ricarda Lang became clearer.

As with the strengthening of the Bundeswehr, a so-called special fund could help: "Now is actually the time that we strengthen the economic substance of this country," she tells ARD.

The gas surcharge could go away as soon as the Ministry of Finance shows a willingness to find alternatives: "And of course this alternative clearly means: Financing stabilization from the budget."

SPD party leader Saskia Esken also expects the controversial gas levy to end this week in view of growing doubts.

"I am firmly convinced that we will come to the end of the gas levy this week," Esken said on Sunday evening in the ARD "Report from Berlin".

She also spoke out in favor of nationalizing the energy suppliers.

Esken's co-leader Lars Klingbeil also saw the gas levy as "politically on shaky ground" and expected that its fate would be decided next week.

"I think politics must have the power to correct mistakes," said Klingbeil on ZDF.

The federal government initially stuck to the gas levy despite the nationalization of the Uniper Group.

It is to be paid by private households and companies from October to support energy companies that are now having to buy more expensively in other markets because of the Russian gas outage.

However, the federal government is still examining whether the levy after Uniper's nationalization is constitutionally permissible at all.

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) had expressed doubts here.

An amendment to the Energy Security Act, on which the surcharge is based, is currently being coordinated between the departments and should actually be decided by the cabinet on Wednesday.

This is now considered unlikely.