Parliament – Nobody is allowed to freeze in Austria!
The price increase in Austria is at a record high. Daily life is becoming more and more expensive for people, while incomes are falling. In addition: The costs for electricity and gas are exploding. I therefore call for a brake on price increases for Austria – right now!
Austria is in an enormous crisis: The corona pandemic is having devastating effects on our health, on companies and on all of our lives. In addition, the extreme rise in prices poses financial problems for many people. In October inflation was 3.7 percent, the highest level in 13 years. The result: living, heating, gasoline, shopping in the store – everyday life in Austria is becoming more and more expensive. The main price drivers are housing and energy costs. The electricity price alone increases by up to 156 euros per year. Many people will soon no longer be able to afford heating unless inflation is curbed.
Families and children, women, young people, pensioners and jobseekers are particularly hard hit by the wave of pensions. The government’s budget for 2022 would have been the chance to curb inflation in Austria – unfortunately this chance was wasted by turquoise-green. For months we have been making suggestions as to how the inflation for people can be compensated for. I invited the heads of the Chamber of Labor, the trade union, the pensioners’ association, student representatives and people’s aid to the inflation summit and discussed the problem areas and proposed solutions with them. All of them people who know exactly where the problem is. We introduced our joint proposals to the National Council – until now they have been blocked by the governing parliamentary groups. And nothing is planned in the budget for 2022 in order to cope with the greatest challenges. There is no brake on price increases, no additional funds for childcare and no care reform.
In order to prevent a social crisis caused by the enormous inflation, the SPÖ has put together a large package of measures. On the one hand, the announced reductions in wage and income tax should be brought forward and come into force immediately instead of next year. People need the money now. The first 1,700 euros of each income should be tax-free. That means: 1,000 euros less tax per year for 3.5 million working people and 400,000 small businesses. The value added tax for electricity and gas is to be halved for a year – according to experts, up to 500 euros per year can be expected for family households and additional costs in 2022. This is a huge increase in costs that WILL hit many people in Austria hard. Some other EU countries like Spain are already doing this.
Furthermore, there should be a one-off winter allowance of 300 euros for households with low incomes. All of these people need support in order to be able to offset the enormous price increases, in order to be able to pay for their daily shopping, their electricity and heating bills. In order not to have to freeze in a prosperous country like Austria. That would be a shame. The SPÖ continues to fight to ensure that life in Austria remains affordable!