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Yahoo
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Germany to ease burden on electricity consumers from 2026
German electricity consumer prices are set to ease next year due to a €6.5 billion ($7.55 billion) government subsidy to finance transmission costs, sources in the Economics Ministry said on Thursday. The aim is to soften the impact of network charges on electricity consumers, the sources said, adding that the ministry has introduced a draft bill for internal government consultation. Structurally high electricity prices are a significant challenge for Germany's embattled economy and a burden on consumers. The subsidy is to be financed from a special government fund for climate and energy transformation. The subsidy for transmission network costs will now be implemented for the year 2026, with further relief in future years to be funded to the tune of €6.5 billion from the government pot, according to the ministerial sources. Details of how the relief will be passed on to consumers are still to be discussed by the conservative-led government coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The coalition agreement states that the goal is to permanently cap network charges. The reduction of network charges is part of a package of government measures. The Cabinet has already set plans in motion to relieve gas customers. Specifically, companies and consumers are to be exempted from the cost of building up gas reservoirs, the so-called gas storage levy. There are also proposals to make an electricity tax reduction for the manufacturing industry, agreed earlier this year, permanent from 2026. However, a reduction in electricity taxes for all, as pledged in the new government's coalition agreement, is not to come for now. The decision to limit the tax reduction to industry, due to budgetary constraints, sparked widespread criticism. Network charges, which help finance the costly expansion of electricity networks, have risen significantly as a component of the electricity price. The charges are incurred for the use of the electricity transmission network. They are then passed on to consumers by energy suppliers. The subsidy for transmission network costs is intended to dampen the increase in network charges related to the transition to green energy sources, according to the draft bill. "The relief must be passed on to customers through the network operators," Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche told dpa last month of the planned measure. "My clear expectation of the industry is: The relief must reach the customer." Solve the daily Crossword
News24
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Government's all-in effort crucial for success of 2027 Cricket World Cup in SA, says Manuel
Former finance minister Trevor Manuel hopes that government will be hands-on-deck when it comes to the hosting of the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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The latest migration stats are going in the wrong direction - and the argument might get more vicious
The UK government won't find much in this latest dump of migration data to back up its claim that it is restoring order to a broken asylum system. In a competitive field, perhaps the most damaging stat is the rising number of small boat crossings - up 38% on 12 months previously and close to the peaks of 2023. That has helped push up asylum applications to record levels, which in turn has led to a rise in the use of hotel accommodation. Politics live: Deportations are up, but more than half of the total figure is foreign national offenders rather than failed asylum seekers. The backlog for initial decisions is coming down. But the approval rate for those applying for asylum after arriving on a small boat is still hovering around the 65% mark. Another bottleneck is also forming as more people appeal their initial rejections - and require accommodation while they wait for an outcome. This all helps explain why people are still taking the risk of crossing the channel in the first place. It's still highly likely that if you get to the UK, you'll be able to stay. The row over the use of hotels is a product of this underlying problem. And if you thought that argument was vicious, just wait for the one that could follow if asylum seekers start to be moved out of hotels and into houses and flats in areas that already have a shortage of homes. It's why the only real endgame for the government is to find a way to stop people coming in the first place. Increased numbers of returns, including through the UK-France deal, could provide some deterrent. Read more: Beefed-up action to dismantle smuggling gangs and reforms to the time it takes for appeals to be heard will help too. So far though, all the figures that count are going in the wrong direction. What's more, there's some evidence that the data is looking particularly painful for Labour in some of its most vulnerable areas. A look down the list of councils with relatively high numbers of asylum seekers reveals several key election battlegrounds in the Midlands and North. These are regions where Reform is already campaigning hard. The stakes are high, and as it stands the government is being found wanting.
