Ski resorts also benefit More and more companies are receiving discounted electricity

Industry is calling for even more relief, although the number of companies receiving discounted electricity is rising steadily anyway. 253 companies were recently exempt from the surcharge.

The number of Swiss companies benefiting from cheaper electricity has risen steadily in recent years. 253 companies were recently exempt from the so-called grid surcharge for the promotion of solar, hydro and wind power plants, as the "NZZ am Sonntag" writes based on data from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.

For example, a surf hall in central Switzerland with tropical indoor conditions is exempt from the surcharge. More and more politicians are apparently asking themselves whether this makes sense - across party lines. After all, the original idea behind the exemption was to support the electricity-intensive and export-oriented industry.

"You can certainly ask yourself whether this makes sense," SVP National Councillor Christian Imark told the newspaper. Green Party member Aline Trede also believes that such energy-intensive leisure activities should not be rewarded: "The criteria for exemption need to be modernized"

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Industry calls for even more relief

"It is absurd for companies that offer expensive luxury services to be exempt," says SP energy politician Nadine Masshardt.

However, the industry takes a completely different view. According to the report, companies are pushing for even more relief - and are also receiving support for this from middle-class politicians.

"Manufacturing companies are suffering from the high surcharges on electricity," says FDP National Councillor Christian Wasserfallen. He therefore wants to exempt large consumers from the newly introduced levy.

With material from Keystone-SDA.