The federal government is looking at how the extra VAT revenues from rising energy prices can benefit families. ‘If people become poorer, the government cannot keep the profits to itself,’ says Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit).
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Vooruit chairman Conner Rousseau does not care how the government does it. As long as households’ energy bills go down, he says. According to the Vooruit CEO, the government can finance measures with the additional income from VAT on energy. According to him, due to the rising prices, the government will collect 350 million euros extra VAT. If it depends on Rousseau, this should serve to reduce the energy bill.
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Minister of Finance Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) thinks it is ‘only logical and correct’ to return the additional income from VAT to the families, he says. Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke also wants the money to flow back to the people. “I’m not going to comment on how you do it.”
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Headaches
From rising energy prices cause political headaches. Energy products are already 19 percent more expensive than a year ago, which means inflation is almost 3 percent. Several small energy suppliers in our country have temporarily stopped shutting down contracts with a fixed energy price. Some suppliers are trying to protect their cash position by increasing the monthly advances.
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Van Peteghem expects major price increases at the beginning of January, when households consume the most. By then there must therefore be a solution for the high energy bill. He points to the reform of the energy levy to excise duties – by the way an obligation of Europe – with which the government wants to exercise more control over that part of the invoice.
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