Germany cuts tax in half, but Germans expect to pay “another way”

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier announced on October 15 “good news” : a tax, which has been financing the development of renewable energies for nearly 20 years, will drop by almost half (43%) on January 1, or three cents less per kilowatt hour. It could even be abolished altogether by the next government. This represents a tax gift of 9 billion euros which responds to the incentive of the European Commission to reduce the bill after the rise in energy prices.

About twenty States have thus committed to taking measures in favor of purchasing power. Announcements are imminently expected in France.

Heute haben die Übertragungsnetzbetreiber die Höhe der #EEG-Umlage für das Jahr 2022 bekanntgegeben: Die EEG-Umlage wird von derzeit 6.5 ct / kWh ab Januar 2022 auf 3.7 ct / kWh abgesenkt und liegt damit auf dem niedrigsten Stand seit 10 Jahren. #Energiewende pic.twitter.com/O11eNRZgYg

– BMWi Bund (@BMWi_Bund) October 15, 2021

This boost of course reached Tom’s ears: “Maybe on my bill I will see a difference and it will be cheaper, he comments, but for me all this lacks transparency. And as a taxpayer, we will pay off in another way at the end of the day. “ Tom is right. What they earn on the one hand, the Germans should lose on the other with, as has also just been announced, the increase in the costs of using the network: around fifteen euros per family.

These families are more and more numerous not even temporarily able to pay their bill and are asking the energy mediator, Jürgen Kipp. “Many are bitter and for the population, the potential difficulties are considerable, the winter will be very very harsh., he predicts. In Berlin last year alone, we had to intervene in 4,500 conflicts. It’s only mid-October and there are already 1,000 more. And that number is increasing very quickly right now. “

The Germans today pay for the most expensive electricity in Europe: around 30 cents per kilowatt / hour. In France, the average price per kWh including tax at the regulated tariff was 15.58 centimes in October.