Due to the exploding energy and fuel prices, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has announced an energy summit for Sunday in order to advise on a quick cushioning of the high energy costs – more on this in Nehammer convenes an energy summit for tomorrow (news.ORF.at). After all, the first companies have already stopped their production due to the high energy costs – more about this in High gas prices: Norske Skog stops production.
Call for a stop to the cost explosion
Corresponding demands only came from the Styrian Chamber of Commerce on Friday – they are demanding temporary tax relief for fuel. The Styrian Liberals demanded a cap on fuel prices, an electricity subsidy and the doubling of the heating subsidy.
On Sunday, the Chamber of Labor (AK) and the ÖGB also followed suit and called for a quick stop to the cost explosion: “Due to the exorbitant price increases, more and more people are having major problems financing their journey to work, electricity, heating – simply life” , emphasize AK President Josef Pesserl and ÖGB Chairman Horst Schachner.
Increase in commuter allowance and mileage allowance
The list of their demands includes an increase in the mileage allowance and the commuter allowance – according to the AK and ÖGB, this last happened in 2008. The consumer price index, on the other hand, rose by 28.4 percent from July 2008 to January 2022. Specifically, an increase in the kilometer allowance from 42 cents to at least 55 cents is desired, as well as an increase in the commuter allowance and the commuter euro by 50 percent. An increase in the negative tax by 300 euros – from 100 to 400 euros – is required for commuting small and very small earners.
In addition, a temporary halving of VAT and a suspension of the mineral oil tax and the CO2 tax are proposed – and the temporary abolition of the natural gas tax for heating with natural gas is also on the wish list.
Increase in housing support
When it comes to housing, according to the AK and ÖGB, there should be an increase in housing support and the income limits for housing support, as well as a suspension of the statutory rent increase for 2022. These so-called reference rents will already be raised in April – more on this in voices for suspending the rent increase (2/8/2022). A sharp increase in the heating cost subsidy for low incomes is also necessary: ”We need quick solutions that bring noticeable relief,” demand Schachner and Pesserl.
VCÖ calls for a way out of oil dependency
The Austrian Traffic Club, on the other hand, calls for measures to be implemented quickly to get traffic out of its dependence on oil – these include more public transport connections, more space for cyclists and pedestrians and more carpooling. According to the VCÖ, companies could support employees in saving fuel with public transport job tickets and job bikes as well as with more home offices. As a socially balanced measure, temporarily reduced speed limits are also a quickly effective measure to reduce fuel costs, according to the VCÖ.
Tax breaks “wrong way”
General tax breaks, such as the required reduction in VAT, are the “wrong way”. In this context, the VCÖ points out that the ten percent of households with the highest income fill up with seven times as much fuel as the ten percent with the lowest income. Postponing the CO2 tax would also be completely counterproductive from a social point of view, because it would also eliminate the climate bonus, which benefits households with lower incomes the most.