New increase in energy bills: small consumers still penalized

An unpleasant surprise awaits households on their energy bills starting this Friday, August 1st . The VAT applied to gas and electricity subscriptions will increase from 5.5% to 20%, matching the tax rate on the variable portion of the bill. Small energy consumers in particular, for whom the subscription portion is the largest component of the final price paid, are expected to bear the brunt of this price increase.
Thus, with regard to electricity, "households that consume less than 3,300 kWh/year (high consumption) will see their bills increase by 0.6 to 5.6%" , according to the information site Hello Watt.
The measure, enacted in the 2025 financing law, is expected to bring in €1.5 billion to the state coffers. This VAT increase could therefore cancel out the benefits of the 15% reduction in regulated electricity prices since February 2025 for some users .
In response to what it considers to be "in total contradiction with the fundamental principles of solidarity and access to essential goods for all" , the communist group in the Senate tabled a bill this month aimed at reducing VAT on all components of the electricity bill to 5.5% . "While a million people have fallen into energy poverty , raising VAT to 20% is unacceptable. The government is extorting money from households " , assured the communist senator and director of L'Humanité , Fabien Gay, who sponsored the bill.
Reacting to this unfair increase in energy prices for users, but also to demand better wages for employees in the electricity and gas industries, the National Federation of Mines and Energy (FNME CGT) has announced a call for a strike starting September 2. " It is not wages that weigh on energy prices, but the market," asserted Fabrice Coudour, general secretary of the union.
L'Humanité