Open letter from the Austrian Home and Landowners Association (ÖHGB) to LH Platter: A vacancy tax would make the middle class disappear and become a bureaucratic monster. Meanwhile, state governors want responsibility to shift from the federal government to the states.
LH Günther Platter recently called for a “significant increase” in the vacancy allowance in a “Krone” interview. As mentioned, it is a kind of tax on apartments and houses that the owner leaves unused. 2400 euros a year for a 1.8 million euro penthouse would not stop anyone from leaving it empty, Platter points to an example. He and the other state governors submitted a request to Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) that the states should be responsible in the future. Along with probably the next rise.
The state should not dictate usage
The Austrian Homeowners and Landowners Association (ÖHGB) does not like this idea at all. In an open letter to Platter, he said: “Basically, you dictate what everyone can and cannot do with their property. As a result, private property is unnecessarily undermined,” said Martin Prunbauer, president of the ÖHGB.
He fears that people will shy away from buying real estate. Ironically, the middle class party ÖVP could gradually make the middle class disappear. Another problem: the definition of vacancy is difficult and would require an enormous amount of bureaucracy to collect the data. Prunbauer also emphasizes that the federal government’s powers for public housing must not be shaken.
Source: Krone
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