On Tuesday morning, the SPÖ submitted its “urgent motion” on inflation, which was used to justify the special session of the National Council. In it, the Social Democrats accuse the turquoise-green federal government of inaction in connection with “record high” inflation and demand a number of countermeasures.
The application signed by party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner refers to Statistics Austria’s flash estimate, according to which the price increase for March will be 6.8 percent. The “urgent motion”, which was tabled in the National Council in the morning, will be discussed from 12 noon.
The last time it was that high was in November 1981, it said. The main price drivers are energy costs. Now, however, price increases for housing and groceries would follow. Supermarket chains have already announced that they will also increase prices because of the increased prices for raw materials and energy.
“Exorbitant price increases” threaten our existence
At the same time, however, the development of wages and salaries did not keep pace with price increases. Instead, real wages would fall. For many young families, but also for retirees, the “exorbitant price increases” threaten their very existence, it is claimed. The same goes for the unemployed. Due to the loss of income due to the price increases, these people lose their livelihood.
On the other hand, energy companies are in a ‘profit-price spiral’. Oil companies would increase their profit margins by a factor of one and a half. And the Minister of Finance will also earn up to 50 percent more this year from VAT revenues on electricity and gas.
In all this, the government either remains inactive or observes and distributes only one-time vouchers. The anti-inflation package presented is far too little. It is also unfair, as higher income commuters are preferred. The SPÖ does not miss measures against price increases in the food sector and in housing construction.
SPÖ calls for tax cuts and inflation adjustment
The Social Democrats are therefore demanding, among other things, a reduction in payroll tax, an inflation adjustment for pensions, tax cuts on fuel, gas and electricity and the withdrawal of the benchmark rent increase. The commuter allowance needs to be ecologically reformed by converting it into a mileage tax credit that raises unemployment benefits to 70 percent of final income. In addition, the ‘excess profits’ of the energy companies are skimmed off.
Source: Krone
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