Heidelberg. The German state is no longer the biggest price driver for electricity. For almost ten years, taxes, levies and levies accounted for more than half of the electricity price in this country. Currently, the state share is only 29 percent. But: In a European comparison, Germany is still one of the countries with the highest electricity tax burden. This is shown by an evaluation of the comparison portal Verivox.
Share of taxes, levies and levies falls to 29 percent
The electricity costs for a three-person household with an annual consumption of 4,000 kilowatt hours currently amount to 1,583 euros per year. Of this, 350 euros (22 percent) are accounted for by network usage fees, 777 euros and thus almost half (49 percent) goes to the suppliers for procurement, margin and sales. Taxes, levies and surcharges make up 29 percent of the electricity price at EUR 456.
As a result, the state’s share of the electricity price has fallen significantly. At its peak in 2018, it was just under 57 percent. Since then, the tax burden has fallen continuously and in 2022 it fell below the 50 percent mark for the first time in nine years.
“The reason for the significantly reduced state share is the elimination of the EEG surcharge last year,” says Thorsten Storck, energy expert at Verivox. “However, a lower tax burden is not synonymous with cheaper electricity prices. Although the end of the EEG had a price-dampening effect, the high procurement costs more than eat up the relief.”
German tax burden on electricity among the highest in the EU
According to Eurostat, the state share of the electricity price in the European Union averaged 15 percent in the second half of 2022. In this country, 31 cents per euro of electricity costs went to the state. This puts Germany in third place among the countries with the highest taxes in the EU. The proportion of taxes, levies and surcharges was even higher only in Denmark and Poland (each 38 percent).
“The state share of the electricity price in Germany is more than twice as high as the European average. The traffic light government could further relieve consumers by reducing electricity or VAT,” says Thorsten Storck.
methodology
Data from the European statistical authority Eurostat from the second half of 2022 for the 27 EU member states was used for the evaluations. The electricity costs were determined using the Verivox consumer price index for a household with an average consumption of 4,000 kilowatt hours. The Verivox consumer price index takes into account the prices of local basic suppliers and those of the most important national suppliers.