The approved budget for 2023 was “happy, helpless and pointless,” SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner criticized on Tuesday. She was not the only opposition politician to lash out at the government after it began discussing the budget.
This includes 50.8 billion euros for work, social affairs, health and family for the coming year. Economy, infrastructure and environment follow in second place with 23.3 billion euros, the lowest place goes to education, research, art and culture (18.7 billion euros). The approved budget brings social, economic and military security, ÖVP club president August Wöginger said on Tuesday. The government has been supporting people and the economy in all crises for three years (about the beginning of the corona pandemic, note).
Brunner against gas price ceiling
In addition, the budget will be used to invest in future issues, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) added. As examples he mentioned less dependence on fossil energy and absorbing high inflation. On this occasion, Brunner deflected calls for a gas price cap. Not everything that sounds popular makes sense.
As expected, the opposition views the government decision differently. The 2023 budget is about “recognizing that the ÖVP and the Greens have no common plan for the future of our country,” said SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner. Among other things, you miss measures to alleviate inflation, such as a gas price cap. The government “arbitrarily” throws away a lot of money, but that alone “simply does not solve crises”.
FPÖ for new elections
The FPÖ took the opportunity to call new elections again. Black and green allow Austria to slide deeper and deeper into the red at the expense of future generations, said club president Herbert Kickl. He also spoke of the lack of measures against the “inflation avalanche” and criticized Russian sanctions. There was also a lot of criticism from NEOS boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger. The government borrows the money from the next generation and throws it at “the discontent of the people.”
While the opposition says it is overspending, the government believes it can significantly reduce the deficit and debt ratio by 2026.
Source: Krone
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