Emergency services have been under tremendous pressure for more than two years. The price increases are now pushing them to their limits. Without an exemption from mineral oil tax, the fuel is no longer affordable.
They are probably among those most in need of fuel: the emergency services. How are firefighters supposed to put out a fire if they can’t drive there with their car? How do the police catch a speed demon when they’re not on the highway? And how are the paramedics supposed to save a heart attack patient’s life when they have to take the subway?
A scenario you don’t want to imagine. Nevertheless, the major rescue services – Red Cross, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), Johanniter and Malteser – warn of the horrific fuel costs, which they can no longer bear in the long run.
Save almost 20,000 euros without mineral oil tax
“We haven’t said anything for a long time. But the preconditions are currently changing considerably,” the four rescue organizations explain. Their first demand is an exemption from tax on mineral oil. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund alone has 42,000 liters petrol per month for its vehicles in Vienna, which amounts to EUR 81,984 and a price increase of 58 percent compared to the previous year.
If they were exempt from mineral oil tax, they could save $19,676 a month.
Fuel isn’t the only thing
“We can’t raise our prices, we have contracts that we have to keep,” emphasizes Reinhard Hundsmüller, federal director of the Arbeitersamariterbund. To date, there has been no refund of the increased prices by politicians. Fuel isn’t the only thing that requires you to dig deeper into your pocket. Spending on operating assets and energy at the base also rose sharply.
An aid package has been put together for agriculture, but there is nothing left to save, criticizes. The employees are still exempt from the corona bonus of 500 euros.
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.
