Prices must go down, the SPÖ shouts. But that doesn’t seem to apply to Red Vienna. Life will still be expensive as rates continue to rise in the coming year.
Bad news for the public again. After the increase in Vienna’s rates this year and the doubling of the prices for district heating, the next shock comes to our wallets: the costs for sewage, waste and water will also increase in 2023.
The magic word that shrinks savings is valorisation. “The valorization in Vienna is based on the consumer price index (CPI), the measure of general price developments and inflation in Austria,” says the city of Vienna. However, an inflationary miracle is not to be expected in the coming months either. Only politicians could step on the brakes.
But: a cessation of the rate increase is not expected – Viennese mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) revealed this in an interview with “Krone”. Q: Will the rate increase be suspended? Ludwig: “I don’t see that at the moment, because there is also a need in the respective companies to cover personnel costs or to make investments to take steps in the field of renewable energy to be able to develop freely from gas.”
This is how Ludwig explains inflation
So is the SPÖ rule “Prices lower, but not with the Viennese rates”? The city manager explains: “No, we have taken measures, also for the economy, for example. Simplifications have been made in the field of commercial law. It will therefore be necessary for us to maintain services of general interest, especially in these difficult times. For example in water and waste processing and in the energy supply. Wien Energie can only function if there are appropriate investments to maintain it.”
“It’s all about inflation adjustment”
Ludwig does not think the valorisation is exaggerated: “It is only about adjusting for inflation. The point is not that there are still price increases to come.”
Source: Krone
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