Graz and Salzburg keep the rates the same, Vienna takes them up. The city government could have stopped inflation. Additional costs for families: approx. three euros per month. The backgrounds.
Next price hit next to energy (electricity, gas). Municipal rates will increase again from January. Parking is also included this time. Not the sticker, but the parking fines. It is the second inflation package in a row. That didn’t have to happen. The city government could have stopped the increase. The NEOS wanted it, but flashed it out on the SPÖ.
Alderman for Finance Peter Hanke (SPÖ) justifies this with the high quality of the offer. “The extra costs are money well spent. We remain the cleanest city in Europe, with the best spring water in the mountains and the most modern sewage system,” says Hanke. Otherwise, the waste will pile up on the streets for weeks and the toilet will no longer flush?
Far from covering the costs
There is another argument for “adaptation”. The rates are far from covering the costs of sewerage, waste processing and the like. The funding ratio is approximately 41 percent. The city had to inject 750 million euros from the central budget last year. Money that is missing everywhere, especially in times of crisis.
No advice from Graz for Ludwig
Large cities such as Graz and Salzburg show that things can be done differently. They do not expect their citizens to pay higher rates. How do you do that? The mayor of Graz Elke Kahr (KPÖ) about the “Krone”: “Where we as a city have influence, no rates will be increased this year. This is how we relieve people.” She wants to do the same before 2023. However, she does not want to give advice to her colleague Ludwig.
The city of Salzburg is also not planning an increase in rates – neither for this year nor for next year. “Because of general inflation”, as Mayor Harald Preuner (ÖVP) puts it. Addendum: “The SPÖ is no longer credible.”
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.
