From 2028, €362 million worth of Flemish taxes will shift from electricity bills to natural gas and heating oil bills. That cheaper electricity should convince people to switch more to electric cars and heat pumps, and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To avoid penalising people who heat on gas, there will be additional relief on the electricity bill so that the total energy bill for them remains unchanged.
This is one of the many measures the Flemish government has agreed on as part of its Energy and Climate Plan (VEKP). That should ensure that by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions in Flanders are reduced by 40% compared to 2005. Today, we are at a drop of about 33%.
Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) is "quite proud" of the plan, he said Sunday at the presentation. He stressed that it was mainly a joint effort by his team. "If we want to tackle the climate challenges, we will have to do it together," he beseeched.
Consequently, the interests of the three coalition partners were similar: they share climate concerns and want to act in balance with the interests of society, i.e. also looking at the economy and affordability for citizens, he said.
