videoThe caretaker cabinet is pulling out its wallet to compensate for part of the rising energy bill. Households can count on an average of more than 400 euros in compensation, says outgoing State Secretary Yeşilgöz. The allowance is valid for one year and costs a total of 3.2 billion euros.
Peter Winterman, Tobias den Hartog
Latest update:
15-10-21, 19:19
“We are going to significantly reduce the energy tax,” said outgoing State Secretary Dilan Yeşilgöz (Energy). ,,We do this by increasing the tax reduction on the energy bill by 230 euros.” That tax reduction is now more than 460 euros, so it will be about 690 euros. Yeşilgöz: ,,We are also going to lower the rates for electricity. This will allow us to limit the increase somewhat.” A general tax measure, which means that households spend on average more than 400 euros less on the energy bill. “The money will also end up with people who don’t need it,” said the state secretary.
The money will also end up with people who don’t need it
This concerns 2.7 billion euros in compensation for households and 500 million euros for SMEs. The government will thus allocate a total of 3.2 billion euros. According to Yeşilgöz, the cabinet has deliberately chosen to lower the electricity rates and not the gas price. “We see that there is also a huge increase in electricity rates, because those rates are linked to the gas price,” she says. “If you look at the calculations, it doesn’t matter much whether you use gas or electricity. But we do help small businesses that use a lot of electricity. It doesn’t matter much to households.”
Isolate
The cabinet has puzzled over the sharply rising gas prices for a week. The House of Representatives had asked for additional measures, after it became clear that the energy bill for some households could rise as much as 900 euros. Especially people with a variable energy contract are at risk of being killed. “It is complex, there are a lot of buttons that we can turn,” said outgoing minister Blok (Economic Affairs) last Tuesday.
The most important knob that is turned is therefore that of the energy load. The cabinet is also allocating an extra 150 million euros for insulating houses. Municipalities can determine which residents they grant subsidies. On Budget Day, the cabinet already set aside half a billion euros for home insulation. “Municipalities must ensure that it reaches households that need it as quickly as possible,” says outgoing minister Kajsa Ollongren (Living). Residents in poorly insulated houses may be able to receive a voucher or voucher to better insulate their home.
Energy companies happy with compensation for households by the cabinet
Energy companies Vattenfall and Eneco are positive about the way in which the government will compensate households for the rising energy bill as a result of the high gas price. Vattenfall thinks, for example, that the move is an ‘excellent solution for the short term’ and that it will bring ‘more peace and stability’ to the energy market.
Eneco CEO As Tempelman speaks of ‘excellent news’ for all households that are hit hard by the high energy prices. According to a spokeswoman for Vattenfall, looking further ahead to the long term is also very important. According to her, the ‘real solution’ lies in sustainability, because then people will become less dependent on gas. The cabinet announced on Friday that it will also make 150 million euros available next year to support vulnerable households with a high energy bill or a poorly insulated home with insulation measures via their municipality.
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