Austria has done a lot to cushion inflation for various groups. Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens), who was a guest at Vorarlberg LIVE – befitting his status as sports minister from the glass house in the Lustenau Reichshofstadion, is convinced of this.
As is well known, a new arena will be built there in the next few years. The veteran of the Greens was particularly impressed by the traffic concept all around.
Soil heating and climate change
In principle, sports matters are a matter for the federal states, Kogler stated. But if the new stadium were to serve as a model for projects in eastern Austria, one could talk about federal funding, “but I can’t promise too much, otherwise I’ll mess with the Court of Auditors again,” said the 61-year-old . If the Bundesliga does not change the guidelines for the necessary undersoil heating – given the climate change, Kogler allowed criticism to shine through – it could make sense to equip the stadium accordingly.
Inflation drivers high wages
But back to the really burning political issues of this week, such as inflation, to the mentioned social cushioning of various groups: “The economy is not insecure. In recent years we have had the highest added value in Austria,” says the party leader of the Greens and refers also on the labor market situation, which is one of the reasons for the high inflation: Due to a high employment rate and higher net wages due to the abolition of cold progression, there is no loss of purchasing power as in other countries – and thus higher prices at the tills.
However, this creates a certain competitive disadvantage compared to neighboring countries – especially in Vorarlberg, for example – and: “Of course there are groups in the food and living area that are particularly affected by inflation.” Something has to be done about that. However, Kogler rejects the accusation that the government took too long to take measures in this area: “We have taken a lot of measures that now affect the corporations” and means, for example, the excess profit tax for energy companies with increased electricity prices for private customers.
Kogler cannot understand criticism of it, for example from Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP): “Wherever profits are made because too little is passed on to the end consumer (price reduction, note), the problem is addressed.” Ecological uses of excess profits – such as investments in power plants using renewable forms of energy – are “as before” exempt from taxation. “We will skim off the profit shares that come purely from the increased electricity price on the European market, but are not at all justifiable for Austria.”
Coalition dispute with no way out
When asked about the fact that the post of Director General of the Federal Competition Authority, which is responsible, among other things, for monitoring possible price agreements on the market, has been vacant for over a year due to a conflict in the coalition, Kogler praises the authority’s work: “It works excellently, gets it ten new employees and control will be strengthened in competition law.” Individual product groups will soon become cheaper again and the remaining prices will at least not rise as quickly as they would without measures: “In any case, it will have a price-dampening effect.”
On the other hand, Kogler does not believe that a VAT reduction would do the same thing, as is repeatedly demanded: “If we did that for all food, that would be pure watering can. When it comes to staple foods, it would affect the poor more because they make up a larger part spend their income on it.” With the danger in mind that retailers would not pass on the reductions, such a measure makes no sense: “As long as transparency and competition control are much stronger, taxpayers’ money would be spent on corporations recording.”
And what about the coalition? For Kogler, turquoise-green is not a discontinued model in Lower Austria, despite black-blue, but according to him, the increasingly frequent denial of climate change by liberal officials is unacceptable. And: “I’m worried about Vorarlberg if (after the election, note) black and green don’t come back.”
The whole show from Thursday
The show “Vorarlberg LIVE” is a cooperation between VOL.AT, VN.at, Ländle TV and VOL.AT TV and is broadcast from Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. You can find out more here.
