No relief for electricity tax: critics accuse black-red “word fracture”

The black and red coalition in the energy sector catches up with reality seven weeks after taking office. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) announced on Tuesday when he was presented by his budget draft billion -out relief in energy prices. A central promise, which is anchored in the coalition agreement as an “immediate measure”, the government remains guilty because of the tense budget situation: the reduction in electricity tax for everyone.

The outrage is great. “The relief of people in energy prices was one of the central election promises of the coalition parties,” said Ramona Pop, chairwoman of the Consumer Center Association. Many business representatives made a similar statement, including Martin Sabel, head of the Federal Association of Heat Pump. “If you want to strengthen the acceptance and credibility of the energy transition, you must not row back on central promises.”

The Greens even accuse Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). “Friedrich Merz is already the word breaker,” said co-party leader Felix Banaszak on Wednesday. Resistance to the plans is formed even with Union MPs. With CDU and CSU, however, you shoot down on Vice Chancellor Klingbeil, after all, it was his draft budget. In the SPD, the designated general secretary Tim Klüssendorf holds against it and says that all measures are “of course closely coordinated in the coalition” and the criticism is therefore unjustified. Merz and Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) also supported the decision. The coalitioners initially put responsibility for each other.

Reduction only for companies

But that should not be off the table. After all, the critics of Merz and Klingbeil can refer to the undercapitel of the coalition agreement. It says on page 30: “We want to relieve companies and consumers in Germany by at least five cents per kilowatt hour with a package of measures.” As well as: “As an immediate measure, we will reduce electricity tax for everyone to the European minimum size and reduce the levy and network charges.”

Not all of this wants to deliver black-red directly. Finance Minister Klingbeil deliberately spoke on Tuesday only of the “entry” into a reduction in electricity prices. At the turn of the year for consumers, the relief for the gas storage levy and the network charges. The federal government takes over a significantly higher proportion of the costs of the network expansion.

However, the government only wants to reduce electricity tax for industry as well as for agricultural and forestry companies to the European minimum. Some energy -intensive companies are already completely freed from it today, and the lowering will expire for other producers next year. The bottom line is that consumers are initially only relieved of two to three instead of five cents, according to the Ministry of Finance. The reason from the Klingbeil and rich houses: there was no money for more.

Resistance from the CSU

The Greens have no understanding for this. Party leader Banaszak criticizes that Chancellor and Vice Chancellor have promised to reduce energy prices. “Now they cancel the reduction in electricity tax and sink billions of taxpayers into gas.” The gas surcharge is to be financed from the climate and transformation fund in the future. The pot for projects in favor of the energy transition and climate protection is actually intended.

To do this, the plans are not only insufficient in the opposition. SPD parliamentary group vice Armand Zorn also told the “Handelsblatt”. The chairman of the Christian Democratic Working of Germany, Dennis Radtke, also raised this demand the day before. “Mr. Klingbeil must not forget the consumers who have to pay 21 percent more for their electricity compared to 2021,” the CDU politician told the Tagesspiegel.

Similarly, people said in the Bavarian sister party. “The electricity tax has to go down for everyone,” said CSU state group leader Alexander Hoffmann on Wednesday. A one -sided lowering with his party cannot be done.

Statements by CDU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn can also be interpreted in such a way that the last word has not yet been spoken on the subject. Because on Wednesday he said that the goal remains to lower electricity tax for everyone and permanently. “We will now advise how quickly more will be advised”.

At least enough time would remain for it. The draft budget 2025 and the corner values ​​for 2026, which the cabinet decided on Tuesday, will now be discussed in the parliament and the budget committee in the next few weeks. The cleansing meeting for the 2025 household is planned for September; The 2026 budget after the usual schedule for November. Changes are therefore possible in principle.

But the question remains how likely that is. After all, the households are already sewn on edge. If you were to deliver the reduction in electricity tax for everyone in the coalition agreement, one would have to save elsewhere. Hardly any cabinet member should easily free the funds for this. After all, Klingbeil, according to her own statement, has already dismissed special requests worth 47 billion euros.

So far, the government has so far been held on the plans. The government did what there was the greatest pressure, said Minister of Economy Reiche on the day of industry. This is to strengthen the business location and to secure the competitiveness of companies. Consumers apparently have to put back.