Is the entire sector doing badly now, as some politicians say? Or good, as others claim? Opinions in the ‘Current Hour’ in the state parliament sometimes differed sharply on Thursday.
It was the Neos who introduced this topic. Club chairman Dominik Oberhofer reached deep into the ‘negative box’: ‘Something is brewing. Sharply rising costs for entrepreneurs, wages soaring, tourism not working, inflation that we cannot get rid of. The state government’s statement? She says that inflation is imported anyway and that she has nothing to do with it. And that there are always ups and downs in the economy. But these are standing sentences. We have a backlog of reforms that cannot be financed away. And we have made the economy dependent on subsidies. That is the harsh reality.”
Moreover, the baby boomers, “the hard-working middle class,” are retiring. “Where are the clear announcements of our Super Mario (note: LR Mario Gerber)?”
“There is no area that is not affected by inflation”
FP-LA Evelyn Achhorner put the facts on the table: “There is no longer a single area that is not affected by inflation. The construction sector, for example, is doing very poorly, which even the Chamber of Commerce itself emphasizes. Numerous materials became scandalously expensive. And large construction companies have now asked for significantly fewer temporary workers because their order books are no longer well filled. Trade is also doing poorly. Explosive: the situation is only becoming dramatic…”
List Fritz club chairman Markus Sint specifically addressed the ÖVP: “The Tyrolean People’s Party has been in the state government continuously for 78 years. My findings: Tyrol is now the most expensive state to live in, it is the most expensive state to live in and Tyroleans earn the least of all Austrians. This gap is widening every year. It is clear who is responsible for this.”
“Many entrepreneurs send positive signals”
LR Mario Gerber (ÖVP), on the other hand, was “surprised and dismayed” by the tone and content of this “Current Hour”: “We have 3,200 start-ups, the lowest unemployment rate compared to the federal states, and are the only federal state that to this day has a positive outlook for economic growth. In addition, many entrepreneurs regularly send me positive signals. Yes, the Tyrolean economy is currently in stormy waters. But we are doing everything we can to guide them through this storm as best as possible.”
“People are tired of discussions”
SP-LA Philip Wohlgemuth was clearly convinced of one thing: “People are tired of arguments in politics and the way things come to a head. We don’t need anger, we need to give people confidence and perspectives and work together to give them a good life.”
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.
