“Last winter taught us one thing. Our supply is only secure if we take the precautions into our own hands,” said Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler on Wednesday in the margins of the Council of Ministers and, together with Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, presented stricter storage obligations for natural gas.
As a precaution, large quantities of gas will have to be stored in Austria for protected customers in the future. In addition, operators of gas-fired power plants for electricity production will also have to create a safety cushion in the future. Specifically, according to the government’s plans, reserves for 45 days must be built up in the future, according to the minister. Only if it can be proven that the gas does not come from Russian sources will the obligation drop to 30 days, Gewessler said. In addition, the storage of the national strategic gas reserve will be extended until 2026.
It was said that the federal government had already taken extensive measures last year to store natural gas in Austria and also to diversify the gas supply. The next steps followed with the change planned by the Council of Ministers. But for implementation, the coalition needs a two-thirds majority in the National Council. As is well known, the SPÖ is currently occupying a blockade position there.
Another reform was also decided by the Council of Ministers: the extension and simplification of the tax deductibility of donations. In the future, donations to sports clubs and educational institutions must also be tax deductible. There should also be simplifications in the field of art and culture.
This should double the relief volume
According to the Ministry of Finance, domestic donations amounted to around 900 million euros last year. In recent years, about 13 to 14 percent of the donations made were tax deductible. This would have saved taxpayers more than €100 million a year. According to calculations by the Ministry of Finance, the change could double the size of the tax reduction to around 200 million euros in the coming years.
Source: Krone
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