Electricity and gas prices explode: Focus on the billions of providers!

Electricity and gas prices explode: Focus on the billions of providers!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On January 11, 2025, Dr. Peter Kostelka, President of the Independent Pensioners' Association of Austria, before the exploding energy costs. The electricity price brake ended at the end of last year and the network operators raise the power fees on average by 23.1 percent and gas prices by 16.6 percent. According to the information from APA-OTS can be expected between 400 and 800 euros per household, depending on the respective provider. Kostelka emphasizes that these increases are particularly threatening for minimum pension recipients.

urgent need for action required

The Pensioners' Association demands that politicians to quickly take new measures to support, especially since the old government has already been replaced and remains uncertain when the new will start their work. Kostelka mentions that the profits of the energy suppliers were over 4 billion euros in the previous year and demands that these companies also be responsible. Since the calculations for adapting to the energy price increases are only available online, it speaks of age discrimination, which in particular disadvantages older people without internet access. These are dependent on the support of relatives, which requires additional need for action.

Criticism of pension system reforms

At the same time, Kostelka also criticizes the efforts to raise the statutory retirement age, as this can be seen as an indirect reduction in pensions. He argues that the current reforms are unjustified because forecasts predict a secure pension system by 2070. In his eyes, a higher starting age cannot be the solution to the financial problems of the pensions. "We have to create conditions that enable older people to stay longer in working life," said Kostelka. This view is also supported by the significant economic contributions of the older generation, which bring 50 billion euros on consumption and tax benefits into the economy annually, as pvoe