Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jørgensen (S) is airing his thoughts on another tax-free heating check, after the government began negotiations on additional heating assistance on Friday morning.
At the negotiating table, the parties will, among other things, look at the income limit for receiving the heating assistance. This is what the minister says, who also suggests that the next check could be larger.
- If you raise or lower it, it will of course have consequences for how many households will be affected, the minister tells TV 2 News after the first meeting.
- We will of course also look at what the size of the check should be, and then we will look at what kind of heat sources you need to have to get the check.
"Probably more than a couple of hundred kroner"
Dan Jørgensen will not put a figure on how much more money the next heating check should be.
- But it must of course be something that can be felt, says the minister.
He adds that it is "probably more than a couple of hundred kroner". He tells TV 2. According to Politiken, however, the government is ready to spend a billion kroner more on heating aid than what has already been agreed. It was in February that a narrow majority in the Folketing decided to give a total of just over a billion kroner to around 320,000 households.
Here, the SF, the Radikale, the Enhedslisten and the Christian Democrats agreed that the aid should be targeted at households with an annual income of less than 550,000 kroner. With that limit, the estimate is that around 320,000 households can expect help.
The aid is a tax-free check of around 3,750 kroner, which will not be paid out until August and September. The late timing has led to much criticism. The Prime Minister has explained that this is due to "technical difficulties".
Even higher energy prices
After the first agreement, energy prices have risen further with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the parties believe that further help is now needed. The supporting party SF is currently going to the negotiations with a request for an extra heating check of 1.5 billion kroner.
- It is also important to remember that when the radiators are turned on again, energy prices will be high again, says the party's energy spokesperson, Signe Munk.
The party will also allocate one billion kroner for green transition, so that oil and gas can be scrapped. The Unity Party will also seek to provide more economically stressed citizens with help to pay their bills, while also setting aside money to phase out gas.
- We would very much like to see that it is not only help for those with gas, but that we also have help for the poorest with their rising electricity bills, says Søren Egge Rasmussen, energy spokesman for the Unity Party.
The Radical Party, on the other hand, has said in advance that the party will not immediately help pay out more heating aid in the form of a tax-free check. The party will instead spend money on phasing out heat sources that run on gas and oil.
Without the Radical Party, it may be difficult for the government to find a majority for another heating check.
Ritzau
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