Live: Sharp criticism of the budget in the National Council from the opposition

2023-10-19 09:08:00

There was criticism from the SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS at the so-called first reading in the National Council, particularly about the rising national debt.

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“The deluge behind us” would have been a more appropriate title for Brunner’s budget speech, said the SPÖ and NEOS. The FPÖ gave the finance minister a flat “not enough” rating.

“We are investing in the future”

Praise for the government’s draft budget for the coming year came from ÖVP club chairman August Wöginger at the start of the debate. In his speech, he appealed to MPs to also evaluate the positive sides of the budget. “We invest in the future and thereby secure prosperity,” says Wöginger. Austria is a strong country and is in a better position than many people think. Bad-mouthing is of no use, which is why a “budget with optimism” is called for, which will continue to bring Austria into a good future.

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SPÖ club chairman Philip Kucher did not share the optimism. “The deluge is behind us, that’s the apt title for the black-green budget,” said Kucher. The government’s one-off payments have evaporated, the people who suffer are the people in Austria and are now being asked to pay twice. In addition to the high prices, “they have now also been given a gigantic backpack of debt,” criticized the SPÖ club boss.

“Destroy prosperity, obstruct the future”

The FPÖ also had a better title for the draft budget: “Destroy wealth, obstruct the future and waste tax money” would have been the apt motto of Brunner’s speech, according to FPÖ finance spokesman Hubert Fuchs. He spoke of an “ambitious budget”. The rising debts are a reflection of the failure of this federal government. “This costs taxpayers and future generations many billions of euros, intergenerational equity looks different,” said Fuchs, and rated Brunner’s draft budget as “not enough.”

Green Party leader Sigrid Maurer found the criticism “abstruse” and far removed from the facts. The budget shows once again that it makes a difference when the Greens co-govern, said Maurer. The government has presented a “climate budget” that has its feet firmly planted on the ground of our time and at the same time prepares us for the future. In addition, the independence of the judiciary will be secured, among other things.

“Behind us the flood”

However, NEOS boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger saw no reason for optimism given the largest debt level ever. She accused the government of throwing money at every problem. “What they are doing here is putting the flood behind us and pushing everything into the future,” said Meinl-Reisinger. It will be left to the future finance minister to pick up the pieces.

After the first reading in the National Council, the draft federal budget moves to the responsible committee for further consideration. Before the debate began, Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP), who is moving to the House of Representatives after resigning as Styrian State Health Councilor, was sworn in as a member of parliament. She replaces ÖVP MP Karl Schmidhofer.

At the National Council meeting on Thursday, among other things, resolutions to enable the revocation of decorations and to increase payments to the Jewish community in Austria were on the agenda. Resolutions were also planned to expand gas suppliers’ storage obligations and to ensure better price comparability for gas customers. In an “urgent request” from the SPÖ to the Finance Minister, the most recent finding of the Constitutional Court (VfGH) on the COVID-19 Financing Agency (COFAG) is also discussed.