Halfway through the year, the Austrian tax authorities processed more applications for employee tax assessments than in 2020. At that time, the tax authorities were about to switch. In the first half of 2022, a total of 2.5 billion euros in loans was disbursed.
3.45 million applications have been processed, the Ministry of Finance announced in a broadcast on Tuesday. Before the administration was changed, there were 3.2 million applications in the same period (first half of 2020). The Austrian tax authorities have existed as a separate service provider within the financial administration since 1 January 2021. The latter has changed a number of processes since the switch. For example, the procedure for family benefits “FABIAN” has been digitally improved to eliminate payment arrears. The student data is now processed autonomously and, since mid-May 2022, child benefit is automatically granted for four months after school. In this way a permanent education of the child benefit must be guaranteed until a possible start of the study.
According to the Ministry of Finance, it has also accelerated procedures for setting up new companies. The average processing time in the first half of 2022 was 20 days, two less than three years ago. However, most startup procedures can be completed within a few days, according to the broadcast. In the first half of the year, there were 70,000 such proceedings this time.
Additional tasks during pandemic
During the corona pandemic, the Ministry of Finance had several additional tasks such as tax deferral and expert advice under the Covid 19 Financing Act. The latter must be used to check whether subsidies from the Corona aid are lawful. A supplementary report can be requested to exclude excessive financing amounts.
According to Treasury Secretary Magnus Brunner, the new tax office should be evaluated 18 months after the switchover to further improve internal processes. It is a challenge to recruit employees for the finance department.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
