Extremely high energy prices are a burden for many people. The compensation that the federal government has granted so far is not sufficient, says Thuringia's Prime Minister Ramelow. And he makes demands - the CDU counters.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) has asked the federal government to put together a new relief package for the citizens in view of the further increase in gas prices. "The traffic light government is currently hardly keeping an eye on social arithmetic. The main reason is the blockade of the FDP," said Ramelow of the German Press Agency in Erfurt. In addition, Ramelow called for a special prime ministerial conference with the federal government.
The left-wing politician was reacting, among other things, to the gas surcharge, which, according to estimates by Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), will mean additional costs of several hundred euros per household to consumers every year. The amount of the surcharge, which is due in autumn in connection with the rescue of the energy company Uniper, has not yet been finally determined. It could be in a range of 1.5 to 5 cents per kilowatt hour.
In any case, many households are suffering from the extremely high energy and food prices. The traffic light coalition in Berlin is discussing whether a new relief package is still necessary in 2022, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had expressed his opposition. Consumer advocates are also in favor of further relief. The Thuringian CDU parliamentary group demanded decisions in Thuringia from Ramelow. "What he demands from Berlin, he should also do in Thuringia," said CDU faction leader Mario Voigt in Erfurt.
Ramelow called on the federal government to return the increased revenue resulting from VAT on high fuel and energy prices to citizens via a new aid package. "I regret that the traffic light government has not yet created any poverty-proof solutions."
He spoke out in favor of setting income limits for future aid for citizens. "People with lower incomes must be protected." There should be no funding based on the watering can principle. "The FDP is in the process of destroying the social skills of the traffic light government at the federal level," said Ramelow.
In view of the great need for regulation, Thuringia's head of government spoke out in favor of a special conference of prime ministers with the federal government. The former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) involved the prime ministers more in decisions than Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Ramelow sees a need for clarification not only in relieving the limbs of the citizens, but also in securing municipal utilities and municipal and cooperative housing companies, which are threatened with liquidity problems and the associated risk of insolvency due to the high energy purchase prices. He had already proposed a protective shield with state guarantees, among other things.
A speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour on motorways must also be advised. "In view of the problems, that should have been done long ago." This also applies to the introduction of an excess profit tax for energy companies, which benefited disproportionately from the price explosion after the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
CDU parliamentary group leader Voigt explained that his parliamentary group had been warning for weeks that the red-red-green minority government calculated the Thuringia reserve for gas, gave a heat guarantee for citizens and the economy and put up a protective shield for public utilities and municipal suppliers.
She proposes an energy security fund that could be financed, for example, from the forecast additional tax revenue of around 400 million euros. "The state government has to ask itself what it is giving back to the citizens and the economy with additional tax revenue from high energy prices."
