“Ordinary people” was the target of the current support for the Støre government. For the first time, news has been able to report that those who got the most back on their electricity bills were people with the highest incomes in the country. – This was exactly what we were warning against. We said that the government’s proposal for electricity support would give the most to those who have the most from before. Unfortunately, these numbers show that we were right, says Storting representative Lars Haltbrekken (SV). Would cover more for people who used little The Støre government has been budget partners with SV since 2021. SV has also helped the government to get a majority in the Storting for the electricity subsidy. In the negotiations, they fought for a different arrangement. ÅTVARA GOVERNMENT STØRE: Storting representative Lars Haltbrekken (SV). Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB While the electricity subsidy covers 90 percent of the electricity price above 70 øre, and up to 5,000 kilowatt-hours a month, SV wants to give more back to people who used little electricity: Consumption up to 1,000 kilowatt-hours: The entire electricity price above 50 øre will be covered. Consumption from 1,000–3,000 kilowatt hours: 80 per cent of the bill over 50 øre is covered. According to news’s analysis, there is a clear connection between people’s income and electricity consumption. The higher the income, the higher the power consumption. – The government should have listened to us and created a majority for a fairer electricity subsidy that prioritized giving more to those with poor income and low electricity consumption, says Haltbrekken. Electricity subsidy and income This shows the electricity subsidy and income figures for Southern Norway: The median for electricity subsidy is NOK 21,256. The median income in this group is NOK 381,834. The median for electricity support in the areas with the 5 percent highest income is NOK 25,567. The median income, after tax, is NOK 892,656 in this group. The median for electricity support in the areas with the 5 percent lowest income is NOK 16,269. The median income in this group is NOK 248,328, after tax. Southern Norway is the electricity price areas NO1, NO2 and NO5. The median is the middle value in a series of numbers ranked from least to greatest. This represents the normal value. – What will SV do if the government seeks support for a more permanent arrangement? – Then we need to get a proper evaluation of the scheme we have now and see how it can be made better to give more support to those who need it, and also how it can stimulate energy saving, says Haltbrekken. Political leadership in the Ministry of Oil and Energy was not available for an interview on Thursday evening. A maximum price would have the same result. Several parties in the Storting, such as Frp, KrF and Raudt, have advocated a maximum price for electricity. Given that people with lower incomes use less electricity, as news’s analysis shows, such an arrangement would also give the most state support to people with higher incomes. Storting representative Sofie Marhaug (Raudt) believes the government must do something about the power system itself to solve the price crisis. – There is of course no arrangement that will be completely perfect, but what has nevertheless happened is that the government has made something that was an interim arrangement permanent, instead of tackling more structural problems with pricing, she says. – Raudt has advocated a general maximum price of 35 øre per kilowatt hour. Would not such an arrangement also give the most to those with the highest income, such as the villa owners in Holmenkollen? – When we have advocated a maximum price, we have also proposed a top price system, so that high consumption will be more expensive than low consumption, she says, and points to a measure the party will introduce in the long term. She promises to fight against high electricity prices before the election in 2025. – It will perhaps be one of the most important issues because the electricity price reinforces differences and creates poverty.
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SV out against the government after stream support findings: – This is exactly what we warned against – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
