Negotiations within the German Bundestag are intensifying regarding a potential reduction in electricity taxes for all consumers. Representatives from the governing coalition are pushing to revisit the issue during ongoing budget discussions.
Sepp Müller, parliamentary vice-chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, indicated to the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers that a broad-scale reduction remains a possibility. He suggested that potential savings of one percent could be identified within the federal budget, which totals 500 billion euros.
The initiative is rooted in the coalition agreement and was a pledge made by all three governing parties during the election campaign. Müller emphasized that should financial room for maneuver become available, implementation would be necessary.
Nina Scheer, the SPD parliamentary group’s spokesperson for energy policy, echoed this sentiment, reiterating that the coalition agreement stipulates an immediate and universal reduction of electricity taxes to the European minimum level. She stated this should be implemented and cannot be replaced by the currently planned relief measures related to grid fees, but rather should complement them.
Scheer further underscored that these measures are part of the governing parties’ agenda, particularly highlighting the potential negative impact of providing relief to gas customers through the assumption of the gas storage levy without a corresponding reduction in electricity taxes. Such a disparity could be counterproductive to the ongoing transition towards renewable heating sources.