1. There was a lot of chatter after this 'extra' natural gas levy was announced....on top of your normal bill....that it would not contain the VAT. The suggestion was that you'd be exempted out in some way.
Well....late yesterday, the EU said 'NO'....Germany can't write an exemption on this surcharge deal. So that 350-odd Euro 'extra' I'll pay for the provider to survive....will have a 19-percent VAT on top of that....making it more like 420 Euro.
How much frustration is brewing with people? A lot of criticism popped up via newspapers and commentary in the past dozen hours. It's aimed at the German government for the way they constructed this surcharge, and at the EU for the mandate to collect VAT.
2. Chatter about GAZPROM (the Russian natural gas provider) handing the German providers an increased bill? Yeah, it's being suggested in the German press this AM that the increase will amount to 60-percent. So, if you were paying around 1,200 Euro before....the new bill will be 1,920 Euro.
There's going to be a lot of hype and negativity brewing over this.
3. Cum-ex affair going to the next level. Prosecutors have raided the office manager for Chancellor Scholz, and in the personal emails area....there's one there (at least the publication Stern says this) to consider deleting emails.
4. Some odd press conference in Berlin yesterday, with the Palestinian President Abbas....making some comment to accuse Israel of conducting a 'Holocaust' on the Palestinian people....with German Chancellor Scholz at the other podium....saying more or less....nothing.
Lot of hype came up after that. Hard to say if he got the whole statement, or if it was translated corrected for him. Maybe he had other things on his mind.
5. Lot of talk going on in the ski areas of Austria and Switzerland....about energy limits. So, there's plan to cut electrical heating in toilets at these ski areas (not sure if this is a positive or not). Also suggested that the 'chairs' will be operating at slower speeds.
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