MADRID — Spain's left-wing government approved Tuesday
a fresh package of measures, including a tax cut, to curb soaring household
electricity bills that have hurt businesses and angered voters.
اضافة اعلان
Under the so-called "shock plan" passed by
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's cabinet, a special electricity tax
will drop to 0.5 percent — the minimum allowed by European Union Rules — from
5.1 percent until the end of the year.
The plan also calls for the creation of a new tax on energy
firms' windfall gains which will last until the end of March and is expected to
generate 2.6 billion euros, the ministry for ecological transition said in a
statement.
This money will then be poured back to consumers over the
next six months to help reduce monthly electricity bills, the statement added.
Under pressure from the opposition and consumer groups to
reduce electricity bills, his government in July reduced the value-added tax on
electricity bills to 10 percent from 21 percent and suspended a power
generation tax to provide relief to consumers.
The average monthly household electricity bill in
Spain has
risen by 62 percent over the past year to 108 euros.
Sanchez has promised to bring annual electricity costs for
households down to levels seen in 2018, the year he came to power.
The government expects gas prices to begin falling by next
March, which will help bring down the cost of electricity.
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