Bavaria: Companies can apply for energy hardship aid

Munich (dpa / lby) - Bavarian companies can now apply for energy hardship aid.

Bavaria: Companies can apply for energy hardship aid

Munich (dpa / lby) - Bavarian companies can now apply for energy hardship aid. In the first tranche of the money released by the federal government, 62.2 million euros are attributable to the Free State, as the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs announced on Monday. A commission made up of representatives from business, chambers of tax consultants and the Ministry of Economic Affairs decides on the granting of assistance.

The help is aimed at small and medium-sized companies with fewer than 250 employees as well as the self-employed, farmers and members of the liberal professions. They can receive compensation for their operational energy costs if the prices they pay are more than twice as high as in 2021. In addition, the costs must be existential for the company - i.e. the expected annual profit must be eaten up by the prices.

The aid would come "late - hopefully not too late for many companies," said Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (free voters). He criticized the federal government in this context. "What took only a few days with the Corona aid programs took half a year with the energy hardship aid." A lot of time was wasted in a dispute about the usability of wood, wood chips and pellets. After protests by the federal states, the aid could now be applied for regardless of the energy system used.