In a study, the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) recommends creating a social package instead of the additional tax cut on gas. In this, the one-off energy price flat rate of 300 euros should be supplemented by a regular "Energy Price Flat RatePlus" of 80 euros per month for taxpayers with a net salary of no more than 3,000 euros and 40 euros per month for non-taxpayers.
In addition, the MCC wants a so-called gas flat rate of 100 euros per month to be paid to all households with gas heating. According to the MCC, the aid is to be paid out via the tax office, the pension fund and the child benefit fund. The MCC is particularly critical of the relief that it is "neither tailored to gas households that are particularly affected nor to those in need" and that, for example, a poor family of four still has additional costs of around 170 euros.
The study is based on the assumptions that gas will cost 286 percent more from May 2022 to April 2022, heating oil 138 percent, district heating 118, diesel 57, super gasoline 34 and electricity 31 percent more. Current measures would already relieve citizens, but not enough. Another social package with flat-rate payments and an additional volume of almost 30 billion euros could reduce the additional costs, which according to the MCC amount to 264 euros for a family of four despite the measures, to 133 euros according to MCC calculations.
Source and further information: mcc-berlin.net
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