BERLIN, Aug 15 (Reuters) – A new gas tax due to come into force in October in Germany to ensure a fairer distribution among consumers of the costs of switching Russian gas has been set at 2.419 euros per kilowatt hour ( kWh), according to Trading Hub Europe, a joint venture of gas network operators in the country.
For a family of four, this tax should represent an additional charge of approximately 480 euros per year.
This new levy, decided by the government of Olaf Scholz, aims to finance state aid to Uniper UN01.DE> and other natural gas importers faced with the surge in prices caused by the Russian invasion in Ukraine. It must apply from October 1 and until April 2024.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, a government spokesman said the tax was on track.
The new levy should fuel inflation, which has already reached 8.5% over one year.
For Jens Südekum, professor of economics at the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, the rise in prices could reach or exceed 10% in the fall, which he believes justifies new support measures for households with only low incomes. or intermediaries.
“The state cannot completely compensate for the high level of energy prices. It is impossible. But it can provide targeted aid where it is most needed,” he said.
The Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, assured that the government was preparing new aid measures after the promise to this effect made by the Chancellor on Friday.
“The tax is a consequence of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and Russia’s artificial energy shortage,” Robert Habeck said in a statement.
(Report Markus Wacket, Reinhard Becker and Rene Wagner, French version Marc Angrand, edited by Kate Entringer)