Vacancy tax: LHs want more leeway
politics
In the debate about a possible levy for empty apartments, the state governors are demanding more leeway from the federal government. The LH confirmed this on Friday at their most recent conference in Bregenz (Vorarlberg.
Specifically, they require significantly stricter rules than are now planned in Salzburg. The demand of the provincial governors would need a constitutional majority in parliament for implementation.
In the public debate, a vacancy tax is seen as a kind of panacea against rising apartment prices: if all vacant apartments were finally rented, rents would also fall again, is the argument. According to estimates, about every seventh to eighth apartment in the city of Salzburg is currently empty.
Currently in Salzburg a maximum of 1,000 euros per year
In order to increase the pressure on real estate owners, it should direct a vacancy tax. In Salzburg, however, this is capped at a maximum of 1,000 euros per year for legal reasons. However, if you can forego hundreds of euros in rent per month, you can easily pay a fee of this amount, critics complain.
The provincial governors therefore want higher penalties. But because they are not responsible for this, they are demanding a constitutional change, confirms Salzburg’s governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP). “The provincial governors are calling on the federal government to set a constitution here. Actually, that applies to Parliament, because you need a constitutional majority for that. We have a vacancy tax in Salzburg that will be decided soon. But that is only possible within relatively narrow limits, which is why greater leeway would be very important and positive,” says Haslauer.
The SPÖ or FPÖ would also have to agree for a decision
A constitutional majority in parliament would currently mean that the turquoise-green government would also need the votes of the SPÖ or FPÖ for such an instance. The SPÖ has already signaled a basic willingness to do so.