So now the time has come, the CO2 tax: From Saturday, refueling and heating will tax our wallets even more…
Anyone queuing at a gas station Friday was in good company. Countless Austrians (and numerous companies and their company fleets) took the opportunity to refill their tanks just before the CO2 pricing came into effect.
From Saturday, a liter of diesel will cost just under ten cents and a liter of petrol will cost 8.6 cents more (including VAT). Everyone can calculate for themselves what that means for our wallet. And you also have to dig deeper for natural gas and fuel oil (see also “Facts & Figures”). The bottom line is that from today a tonne will cost 30 euros net.
‘Every euro comes back through climate bonus’
Recently several times postponement of the new tax has been requested – without success. The Ministry of the Environment refers in this regard to the ongoing countermeasures: “Every euro earned with the CO2 price is returned to the people through the climate bonus. This is unique in Europe.” As of Friday, some 6.3 million transfers have been made and nearly 900,000 vouchers sent across Austria – 3.3 billion euros have already been disbursed, which now has to be recouped through CO2 pricing.
But not everywhere, because some sectors can recover the additional costs incurred from the Ministry of Finance. This applies to energy-intensive companies as well as to agriculture and forestry. With this “compensation”, Austria is orienting itself towards Germany, where a CO2 price has been in place since last year. And airlines do not pay CO2 tax, because they already invest at EU level through the trading of emission certificates.
In addition to the already exorbitantly rising energy costs, something is added today. However, this is not only a burden for households and commuters. For example, the Samaritan Association is calling on the federal government to prepare a rescue package for social and rescue organizations. “We are under tremendous cost pressure. We cannot resist this long-term pressure,” explains Reinhard Hundsmüller, federal director of the Samaritan Association.
Oliver Papacek and H. Neudeck, Kronen Zeitung
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
