International

Almost half of all Dutch people are turning the heating down or even turning it off altogether, even as temperatures outside are plummeting. Many people face financial difficulties because of increased costs. The SP believes there should be compensation for households, but the current price cap is not the solution. For this reason, SP MP Renske Leijten is putting forward proposals to organise compensation in a fair way. 

The cabinet's proposed price cap represents an unprecedented financial boon for energy suppliers. We will be transferring billions of our tax money to energy suppliers, yet it is still unclear whether the price will be €11.2 billion, €23.5 billion, or even €40 billion. Capitalism is always getting bailed out by handouts from the taxpayer.

The SP believes using taxpayers’ money to fund the profits of energy companies is unjust. There is no transparency about how energy prices are arrived at, but what we now know for certain is that we are financing their profits with our money. The SP therefore wants to know how tariffs are set and proposes a ban on profits for energy suppliers during the price cap. The party also wants to rule out any increase in rates during the price cap.
In addition, instead of making advance payments to energy suppliers, the SP proposes that settlement should be delayed until the actual costs have been verified. This is because by raising their prices, the energy suppliers are effectively borrowing from taxpayers for free, and they will not have to pay the money back until July 2025. The energy cap is designed to ensure that people do not get into financial problems. But it is geared more towards the interests of corporations than to those of people. While energy suppliers are receiving billions in subsidies, they are still allowed to cut off energy supplies to households who can no longer pay their bills. The SP wants to prohibit this, because no one should have their energy supply cut off.

The Dutch state should also set up its own energy supplier, with the ACM now also calling for a ‘safe haven’ in the event of bankruptcies. Because energy supplies have been privatised, we no longer have any grip, control or oversight of the energy market. This is a first step in taking back control of our energy. We want our energy to be nationalised and bills to be reduced.

The SP's petition to this effect has already attracted more than 80,000 signatures.