Report: Stop sign for 2023
Ampel wants to ban further price increases for electricity and gas
03.12.2022, 00:00
The traffic light cabinet wants to prevent further price increases: According to “Bild”, if the law goes through, suppliers will have to prove in the new year that price increases are due to increased market prices. This also applies to price increases that have already been announced.
According to a newspaper report, the federal government wants to generally prohibit electricity and gas suppliers from increasing prices for 2023. This emerges from the draft law on price brakes passed by the cabinet, reports the “Bild” on Saturday. Hundreds of increases that have already been decided at the turn of the year are therefore illegal. In the event of a dispute, the supplier would have to prove to the Federal Cartel Office that the stock market prices justify the increase, the newspaper reports, citing a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics.
As long as the supplier cannot do this, the increase remains prohibited. The background is the claim for reimbursement that arises for gas suppliers from the energy price brakes decided by the government against the state. “As a result, abuse must be ruled out,” said the energy policy spokeswoman for the SPD, Nina Scheer, of the “Bild”. “We want to prevent free-rider effects that encourage utility companies to pay higher tariffs,” said Michael Kruse, spokesman for energy policy for the FDP parliamentary group.
Referring to figures from the consumer portal Check24, “Bild” reports that there will be massive price increases on January 1: 457 gas suppliers are planning an average increase of 56 percent, which would affect 3.6 million households. 636 electricity suppliers planned increases by an average of 60 percent for 7.5 million households.
“Consumers are allowed to withhold payment of the increase,” said Leonora Holling, head of the Federation of Energy Consumers, to the newspaper. The planned increases are not in proportion to the price development on the stock exchange. “We advise consumers to appeal.”