The next coalition dispute is looming: Within the traffic light coalition, opinions on new relief measures for citizens in the energy crisis are increasingly divided. “Chancellor (Olaf) Scholz and Minister of Finance (Christian) Lindner act without a concept,” says the head of the German Greens in the European Parliament, Rasmus Andresen, the “Spiegel” with a view to the coalition partners SPD and FDP and the reduction in VAT on gas announced by Scholz .
“You’ll never walk alone,” Chancellor Scholz keeps repeating when he talks about rising energy prices. Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister and party colleague Stephan Weil (SPD) demands that his announcements “must be substantiated by actions”. At the same time, he called for “one-off payments for low earners, especially for pensioners”.
The FDP, on the other hand, is making demands on the Greens: Group leader Christian Dürr emphasized that Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck must ensure that the reduction in VAT on gas is actually passed on to consumers. In the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Saturday), Dürr also spoke out against further relief. The scope of the federal budget is “limited”. However, a third relief package from the federal government is already in the air in view of the high inflation and drastically increased energy prices.
Against further relief – that should upset the Social Democrats badly. The first parliamentary secretary of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, criticizes statements by Lindner in the “Bild” newspaper, according to which he rejects special help for older people. “Of course, the future relief package must also be aimed at pensioners,” says Mast.
Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) is also not entirely satisfied with Lindner’s financial policy. In the Deutschlandfunk weekly interview, she criticizes the finance minister’s plans to prevent the automatic shift to higher tax progression due to wage increases in the future. It is unlikely that wage increases will actually match inflation, Paus said. However, people with low incomes or families have their backs to the wall.
As usual, there is also clear criticism from the opposition. CDU leader Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday: “Is there anyone in this federal government who still has an overview of the ever-increasing burdens and the constant announcements of relief?”
The CDU Economic Council is still following and criticizing the latest energy saving plans by Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and describing them as “small-scale and completely exaggerated flood of regulations”. Reactions to the energy shortage are only made with “quick shots from the ideological mothball box”.
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These would only “show a minimal, quantifiable effect” and “negligently” jeopardize Germany as an industrial location, said the general secretary of the association, Wolfgang Steiger, to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).
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The affair about secret bonus payments at RBB is spreading. Now a new research shows that the system was known to the ARD for months. The frustration is growing among the employees of the RBB.
In addition to the gas levy to save important importers, gas customers could face other levies.
For public transport customers, the savings could soon be over after the nine-euro blessing. In addition to the normal prices from September, some transport associations have already decided on significant price increases. For nine euros, passengers only get a day ticket for city traffic.