According to a study, the gas surcharge to be paid by private households and companies from October could increase the rate of inflation in Germany to more than ten percent. The “Handelsblatt” (Monday edition) cites calculations by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, which is close to the trade unions, according to which the gas surcharge could increase inflation by up to two percentage points. The company Trading Hub Europe (THE) announced the amount of the gas surcharge on Monday.
The Federal Ministry of Economics had given a range of 1.5 cents to five cents for the levy. In addition to the increased gas prices, a family household will face additional costs of several hundred euros. According to the IMK study, the impact of the levy on inflation largely depends on whether VAT is levied on it. If that were the case, the inflation rate would be 0.6 to two percentage points higher, according to the IMK figures quoted by the “Handelsblatt”. Without tax, the inflation effect would therefore be 0.5 to 1.7 percentage points.
