Since the Corona pandemic, almost a quarter (22 percent) of support measures for private households have gone to people with a low income. The Parliamentary Budget Service calculated this based on a request from Andreas Hanger (ÖVP). For example, the eco-social tax reform and the end of cold progression were taken into account.
The budget service focused on the federal government’s support measures and the development of household incomes from 2019 to 2023. The main findings: About a quarter focused on private households with low incomes. Relatively speaking, federal aid money had the most impact on this group. They were repaid by 3.8 (2021) to 12.7 (2022) percent.
But high-income earners have also benefited in recent years, mainly due to changes in tax rates. Here the deduction was between 1.3 (2020 and 2021) and 5.1 percent (2024) of income.
Government: “Accurate”
“The extensive support measures from the federal government have helped people with the lowest incomes the most,” says Christian Stocker, Secretary General of the ÖVP, with satisfaction. The People’s Party has always emphasized this. Budget spokesman Jakob Schwarz (Greens) also spoke of “accurate lighting”. Labor and social spokesman Markus Koza (Greens) is convinced that the funds and other measures can reduce the risk of poverty.
Overall, according to the Budget Service, with the exception of 2023, household incomes were on average higher than in the pre-crisis year 2019. A further increase is expected for 2024, also for lower incomes. Aid measures such as the climate bonus account for an average of 2.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) per year.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
