By privatising the distribution network and the marketing of energy, the state has lost control of this sector. The municipalities, cooperatives, and the state should take back control, according to the Left Party, for which gas and fuel prices have gotten “completely out of hand”.
The Left Party organised a protest picket in front of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. Party member Gary Diderich stated that the party demands quick and concrete help for every household. In the eyes of the opposition party, the cost-of-living benefit is merely “a drop in the ocean”.
People must receive help in a “quick and easy” way, Diderich stressed. Instead of lengthy applications, the Left Party demands that everyone receive an additional €200 per month. This sum should be added to a person’s salary and taxed accordingly, the party proposes. This would ensure that those with higher incomes would also be taxed more. Even if it is just a short-term solution, it is “necessary” at the present moment, according to the Left Party.
The left-wing party also calls for multinationals, which generate large profits from high energy prices, to be taxed. A way out of the dependence on fossil fuels should be sought as a matter of urgency, as these resources would in themselves only be paid for by public money, the opposition party stated.
