The closer the election date gets, the more promises the parties make. Where is our economy headed? WKO president Harald Mahrer has open words on the matter.
“Crown”: What is needed to ensure that Austria does not fall further behind?
Harald Mahrer: The main point is that the Austrian economy needs relief and not a burden of new taxes. If we want to maintain our prosperity, we want and must be at the forefront of international competition. We must therefore bake the prosperity cake bigger, otherwise there will only be quarrels about the distribution. New taxes would be poison for our state and put us on the sidelines. No, on the contrary: we must courageously ignite the turbo of prosperity. And without so-called counter-financing, that is, without inventing new taxes. This forward strategy would cost nothing, for example if there were incentives for extra work and overtime, if employees could work longer instead of retiring – all this creates new values.
Sounds good, but do you want to attract foreign companies to the country with tax cuts at the same time?
A reduction in corporate tax to 15 percent – limited to a few years – would be such a measure. It costs nothing because new values and jobs are created.
And do you reject tax increases on principle?
Instead, we should strive to use tax revenues more efficiently. That means: accurately, rather than a system of funding with a watering can!
But what if there is a shortage of workers for additional economic growth? The FPÖ advised job seekers to look in the EU?
This only highlights the ignorance of those who suggest this. Because in the EU, everyone has the same problems in finding workers, the Germans, the Italians, the Dutch or the Eastern Europeans. Instead, according to the strict Canadian model, we should invite people who are willing to work in the country. And only those who really want to work with us – and not those who want to receive social benefits from us.
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.
