The craft bonus is intended to help companies get started. According to a new study, a third of Austrians plan to take advantage of the bonus. One in two people even wants to bring forward investments. Without a bonus, most people would rather lend a helping hand themselves or with friends, or let ‘bunglers’ do the work.
Trade and crafts recorded a real decline in the fourth quarter for the fourth time in a row. “There is still a long way to go towards normality. But the expectation curve points upwards,” says Renate Scheichelbauer-Schuster, chairman of the WKO.
Companies are burdened most by expensive raw materials, high taxes and energy price increases. Only a minority of companies expect better turnover for the current quarter, 30 percent even expect a decline.
A government measure should help with this, because the sector hopes to get a boost from the now introduced dealer bonus. 20 percent of the costs for a professional will be reimbursed, from an amount of 500 euros to a maximum of 10,000 euros. This applies retroactively to March, so a maximum of 2000 euros will be financed. Important: This only concerns working hours; the bonus does not apply to material costs. This year and next year, the government has a total of 300 million euros available for this purpose.
Usually, residents think about various renovation works. According to the Market Institute, painting, plumbing and tiling are very popular. Many would even bring forward projects or implement something that was previously unplanned; according to the market research, one in two people plan to do this. But (smaller) repairs in the home are also possible.
Without a professional bonus, more “botches”
“The measure is self-financing,” Scheichelbauer-Schuster is convinced, because more expenditure will flow in this direction. It also helps prevent clutter. According to the survey, the majority say they would not hire a company without a bonus, and only 37 percent would hire professional tradespeople. On the other hand, almost a fifth would lend a hand themselves, a quarter would ask friends for help and 12 percent would prefer to invest in a ‘hugger’, while 20 percent of young people under 30 would like to pay a professional ‘black’ . .
Even though, despite the craft bonus, undeclared work can sometimes be cheaper here and there, 43 percent of Austrians are convinced that the bonus helps against undeclared work. “It is a clear incentive to hire professional, reliable professionals,” says Scheichelbauer-Schuster.
In addition to the craft bonus, the repair bonus, which has been introduced for some time, is also popular. It even reimburses 50 percent of the repair costs, up to a maximum of 200 euros. This means that significantly more electrical appliances are repaired – and only with an official invoice, otherwise the bonus will not be paid out. It has already been paid out more than 900,000 times.
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.
