The federal government wants to exempt the planned gas levy from VAT.

"It would be absurd if the state burdened gas customers even more here," said Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) on Friday in Berlin.

However, one is bound by EU laws: "I will exhaust all legal and political options to avert an additional burden." He was referring to a regulation by Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), which the cabinet had decided on Thursday: From 1. From October of this year until April 1, 2024, gas importers are to receive compensation for 90 percent of their procurement costs, which have increased due to the Russian supply failure.

Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

  • Follow I follow

This money will be collected from all gas customers via a levy of between 1.5 and five cents per kilowatt hour.

The "market area manager", the company Trading Hub Europe, intends to announce the exact amount on August 15 on its website.

The surcharge can be changed every three months and will be dropped completely as soon as Russia delivers the promised quantities again.

The earlier EEG surcharge for the promotion of green electricity serves as an analogy.

This tax, which was abolished on July 1, was taxed at 19 percent, which should not apply to gas.

Instead of asking the citizens to pay in addition, the state must relieve them, said Lindner.

Habeck also made it clear: "It would be wrong to charge VAT on the levy."

The vice-chairman of the Union faction Jens Spahn called it "almost cynical" when the state "still earns" from the special burden for the citizens.

The surcharge shows “considerable technical errors.

It's also not fair.” People on low incomes have been waiting for relief for months, they don't go together.

"If the traffic light does not improve quickly here, we will apply to the Bundestag for the repeal of this regulation on the gas levy," said Spahn.

The automobile association VDA complained that, in addition to companies and private households, the government should have used the energy industry more for financing.

In order to relieve the industry, the electricity tax must fall.

The steel trade association announced that the increase in energy prices after Russia's attack on Ukraine means additional costs of seven billion euros a year for the industry.

A gas surcharge of five cents would add another billion.

However, the energy association BDEW does not expect that the five cents will be reached.