German Social Democratic wing of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is criticizing the federal budget draft, calling for the black-red coalition to reduce the electricity tax for consumers.
The CDU’s social wing argues that the government is only addressing the concerns of industry, reducing the electricity tax for companies in the long term to the EU minimum, while forgetting the consumers, who are paying 21 percent more for their electricity compared to 2021, according to the head of the Christian-Democratic Workers’ Association of Germany, Dennis Radtke.
While the reduction of network charges for consumers is a crucial first step, Radtke emphasizes that a reduction in the electricity tax is also necessary. He criticizes the government for allocating funds in the budget for projects such as the mothers’ allowance, which he claims has no broad impact or relief for the working middle class and instead leaves families with children to face the “overwhelming problem” of high electricity costs alone.
Radtke is indirectly referencing the coalition agreement, in which the CDU, CSU and SPD agreed in April to reduce the electricity tax for all and lower the transmission network charges in the first step, aiming for a quick relief of at least five cents per kilowatt-hour.