Saxony examines continuation of the repair bonus

The Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs is currently examining whether the so-called repair bonus should be continued in Saxony this year. The ministry has not yet decided whether to continue the repair bonus, a spokesperson said in response to an inquiry. "The situation in Saxony's budget is well known and we will have to make some painful adjustments." The new budget will show whether and in what form the bonus can be paid in the future.

Funding for sustainable repairs

The repair bonus was used to subsidize the costs of repairing defective electrical appliances. 50 percent of the eligible costs - between 75 and 400 euros - could be reimbursed, up to a maximum of 200 euros. Up to two repairs per person and year were eligible, but only in certified workshops. The initiative was introduced in November 2023 by the then Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens). The aim was to promote sustainable behavior and reduce electronic waste.

The Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB), which is responsible for processing the funding applications, has since announced on its website that the funding will have to be discontinued as the available budget funds have almost been exhausted.

Crafts Association insists on continuation of the program

Criticism of this statement came from the Saxon Crafts Association. "In the past two years, we have not only succeeded in strengthening regional economic cycles, but also in reducing the volume of e-waste," said Managing Director Andreas Brzezinski.

After the change of government in Saxony, responsibility for the repair bonus now lies with the SPD-led Ministry of Economic Affairs. As the SAB announced in response to an inquiry, the earlier announcement regarding the discontinuation of the program was still based on the old responsibility - at that time, the program was in the now CDU-led Ministry of the Environment.

Thousands of repairs already funded

Former Environment Minister Günther hailed the repair bonus as a success in November last year. Within a year, around 21,000 repairs had been subsidized with around 2.2 million euros.