Following suspicions of fraud, the Ministry of Climate Protection has tightened the safety net for processing the repair bonus. “To prevent fraud, the subsidy will be paid directly to customers in the future,” the ministry said over the weekend.
It was said that repair vouchers could not be obtained during the technical conversion until the restart on September 25. Vouchers requested before July 2 remain valid.
Suspicion of fraud at 56 companies
“Since the campaign started in April 2022, checks by Kommunalkredit Public Consulting (KPC) have identified a total of 56 companies against whom suspicions of fraud have been substantiated,” the ministry said. The companies had been reported to the Austrian and European prosecutors.
Damage amount of four million euros
Investigations are ongoing and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is also involved. The total extent of the damage is currently being investigated – the maximum amount of damage from the fraud is estimated at almost four million euros.
Safety net has been tightened
That is why the safety net has now been tightened, according to the ministry. “The heart of the conversion is the subsidy payment, which now goes directly to the customers. This means that fraudulent companies can no longer benefit from submitting fake repairs,” the company said. The repair bonus will start again on September 25. Vouchers requested before July 2, 2023 will remain valid for three weeks as before. The conversion will take place in coordination with the European Commission.
“It is extremely insidious to get rich from a subsidy system that helps so many people. In the course of the summer, the safety net of the popular financing campaign can now be tightened even more so that the repair bonus can start again in the fall,” said Minister of Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler (Greens).
Financing payments directly to customers in the future
From autumn 2023, the entire invoice amount must be paid in the repair workshop and the subsidy amount must be paid directly by KPC. To do this, customers should provide their account number in addition to their contact details when creating the repair slip.
New contracts for all partner companies
The repair voucher itself remains anonymous, so the partner company has no access to users’ personal information. Grant applications are still made by the partner company. After the company has submitted the invoice, the financing can be transferred from KPC. According to the ministry, all partner companies will be extensively informed about the security conversion and will be sent new contracts.
Around 3,500 companies across Austria are taking part in the campaign. 673,061 repair vouchers with a subsidy amount of 69.7 million euros have already been submitted (as at 19 June 2023).
Source: Krone
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