The NEOS launched a frontal attack on the government on Wednesday. Party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger took a devastating stock of the coalition’s corona and inflation policies and stated at a press conference: “We are grinding.” The government is “vulnerable to blackmail” and “the biggest driver of inflation in our own country”.
Meinl-Reisinger likes almost nothing about what the government does. Austria has the second highest aid expenditure in the Corona period and the inflation wave. However, these measures have not proved successful. The malaise in the economy was enormous. Comparable countries such as Finland and the Netherlands would have suffered significantly less economic damage. In terms of expected growth, Austria is also 0.5 percent behind the euro average of 0.9 percent.
“Result of the watering can policy”
In addition, core inflation is well above the eurozone average: “This is the result of the watering can policy.” The federal government fuels inflation and is “the biggest driver of inflation domestically”.
“are still open to blackmail”
Finally, Meinl-Reisinger criticized the fact that reliance on Russian gas had continued to run counter to government commitments. 72 percent of Austria’s gas imports come from Russia: “We are still open to blackmail and Putin’s war is financed with costs of plus a billion a month.”
Moreover, Meinl-Reisinger found the relevant considerations of Minister of Labor Martin Kocher (ÖVP) audacious in view of an ÖVP policy that kept women away from full-time jobs for years. The NEOS boss advocated a huge expansion of childcare – both nationally and in the afternoon. In addition, tax incentives for part-time work should be explored and replaced by full-time incentives. Penalizing part-time work, on the other hand, is a totally wrong approach.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
