Wagenknecht criticizes climate money delays
The federal government collects 67 billion from the CO2 price
February 4, 2024, 4:58 a.m
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The higher CO2 price ensures bubbling government revenue: 67 billion euros will flow into the federal budget by 2026. However, citizens have so far received nothing from the promised climate money. MP Wagenknecht sees this as a “maximum dishonest policy”.
The federal government expects total revenue of more than 67 billion euros from the CO2 price by 2026. This emerges from a response from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to a request from Bundestag member Sahra Wagenknecht, which was submitted to the Editorial Network Germany (RND).
From 2021 to 2023, CO2 pricing brought the state 24.3 billion euros. A further 12.3 billion euros are expected this year and around 14.2 and 16.4 billion euros in the next two years, explains State Secretary for Economic Affairs Philipp Nimmermann in the letter. From 2027, national emissions trading will then be transferred to European emissions trading, it goes on to say.
In view of this income, Wagenknecht criticized the traffic light’s rejection of the climate money promised in the coalition agreement as “scandalous”. Without this compensation payment for those in need, the CO2 price would “in reality be an ice-cold tax increase for the poor and the middle class,” she told the RND. “The fact that the traffic light takes tens of billions out of citizens’ and companies’ pockets and then doesn’t even pay out the promised climate money is the most dishonest policy.”
Lindner also points out technical problems
The CO2 price for gasoline, heating oil and gas was increased to 45 euros per ton on January 1, 2024. It was introduced by the grand coalition in 2021, was initially 25 euros and has been expected to increase gradually since then. According to Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the social compensation in the form of climate money planned by the traffic light coalition will not come before 2026.
The FDP politician recently explained the delay with reference to technical hurdles in the payment. “As a realist, I assume that there will only be a payout in the next legislative period,” even if he would actually like that earlier, said the FDP politician. The Ministry of Finance’s justification went on to say that the payout mechanism was already being worked on, but it was proving difficult.