The Austrian private households and companies have considerably more assets than the state owes. Despite the economic crisis, the gap has continued to work in recent years: private financial assets grew more than the government debt.
According to an analysis of the Union Institute, based on the figures from the EU committee, private net financial assets per head of the population were more than 38,000 euros at the beginning of 2025-one increase of around 10,400 euros since 2020.
The government debt minus the financial assets of the State increased in the same period by only 3670 euros to 25,400 euros per head of the population. Viewed for 25 years, the scissors are even greater: although private assets are sieved on time, the government debt had hardly tripled.
Institute calls for inheritance tax
With reference to the large differences in assets between the different households, the Momentium Institute again requires “the reintroduction of wealth tax and inheritance and gift tax”. A higher power gain tax can also partially decline the strong wealth profit.
“The financial winners of the past decades are the richest households,” the deputy chief economist of the Institute, Barbara Schuster, is quoted. “When the state absorbs debts, those who already have high financial assets already have interest.
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.
