Opposition criticism: election sweetener, austerity package?

Before the last week of the plenary session before the summer break, the SPÖ calculated that every Austrian had suffered a loss of prosperity during the Black-Green government and was 1,300 euros poorer than when the government took office. SP deputy club leader Julia Herr expects that a “huge austerity package” is imminent in view of a budget deficit of ten billion euros. She related the quote from Wifo head Gabriel Felbermayr, who spoke of “six lost years”, to the government.

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Herr demanded honesty towards voters in the form of a financial audit. At the same time, the deputy club leader was also against cutback plans that she – in election campaign mode – expected from a black-blue government. The Neos warned against “parliamentary hasty decisions” and the distribution of “election sweeteners”. Nikolaus Scherak calculated that these election sweeteners, which were distributed for the last time before the 2019 National Council elections, still cost taxpayers 4.1 billion per year. According to a calculation by the Neos, the ÖVP voted in favor of more than half of them.

Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (VP) also came under criticism. He had record tax revenues but was unable to get the budget under control. Scherak did not mention the term “austerity package”, but said that “in the long term” they would have to look at how the budget could be brought back under control.