The Third Sector Roundtable calls for the reinstatement of Covid-19 measures against the energy war.

Restore and consolidate the tax cuts adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis that arose at the start of the war in Ukraine. This is one of the main proposals of the Roundtable of Third Sector Social Entities of Catalonia to combat energy poverty. The Roundtable has prepared a new dossier, , prepared by the Ecoserveis Association in collaboration with the ARA (Argentine Association of Hydrocarbons) and the Social Hub.

"There are special taxes on electricity and hydrocarbons, and then the bill is taxed with VAT. It's double taxation, legal but not legitimate," explained Marta Garcia, from Ecoserveis and co-author of the report, during the presentation of the dossier this Thursday. Among her proposals is that the collection of these special taxes, which goes to the autonomous communities, be used to combat energy poverty.



But she also called for taxing energy with a reduced or super-reduced VAT. Other proposed measures include an in-depth audit and greater transparency in the gas and electricity markets, the renewal of the national strategy to combat energy poverty, which expired in 2024, and the renewal and extension of the agreement to combat energy poverty in Catalonia. This agreement was signed only by Endesa, and the Third Sector Roundtable is asking for it to be extended to other companies, such as Naturgy or Iberdrola, and also for the debt accumulated by vulnerable families to be resolved in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Criticism According to Martí Batllori, the Roundtable's energy officer, the fight against energy poverty "is not a priority for the Government." In this regard, he denounced the fact that no issue has been included in the Government's plan, the roundtable on energy poverty has not been convened for over a year, and the agreement regulating energy poverty has not been fully implemented. The dossier also reveals that the social electricity bonus and the thermal bonus need to be further explored.

In the case of the former, it is highlighted that in Spain, of the four million potential beneficiaries of the electricity bonus, only 1.5 million are covered, which contrasts with official statistics indicating that 18% of the population suffers from energy poverty. Furthermore, as requested by the dossier's co-author, Joana Mundó, the concept of energy poverty should also be extended to transport and include not only cold in homes, but also heat.

"There are already people who pay higher bills in the summer than in the winter," he noted..