After Nijmegen and Amsterdam, the court in Utrecht has also ruled that the municipality cannot exclude students from the energy surcharge in advance. The arrangement that students as a group are not eligible for the allowance is discrimination, the court finds.
The Utrecht student who started the case lives independently in a studio. He has a low income and has to pay his own energy costs. However, his application for the surcharge of 1,300 euros was rejected by the municipality. The judge ruled on Monday that the municipality must still transfer the money to the student.
The surcharge was created to help people who earn little with their energy bills. A growing number of students are involved in lawsuits about the refused energy allowance. Student organizations emphasize that this group is struggling financially.
So far, the lawsuits have been successful: in August last year, the court in Arnhem ruled that the municipality of Nijmegen wrongly excluded students from the scheme in advance. The court in Amsterdam came to a similar judgment in February of this year.
Organizations such as the National Student Union (LSVb) have been calling for a national solution for months. The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) is also not satisfied with the role of municipalities in the implementation of the scheme. According to the VNG, the government should take on the implementation itself.
In the Utrecht case, the municipality pointed out that students who run into problems due to increased energy prices can claim special assistance. However, the court finds that “not a reasonable alternative”. The conditions for eligibility are stricter than the conditions for the one-off energy surcharge.
2023-04-17 16:19:54
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#Municipality #pay #energy #surcharge #student #court #ruling #Economy
