2024-04-03 08:26:06
Today, the COFAG-U committee is devoting itself to several tax officials and their perceptions surrounding the tax cases of the investor Rene Benko and his insolvent Signa. It starts with a large business auditor who, according to his own statements, has been working at the Innsbruck tax office since 1992.
ORF/Lukas Krummholz
The tax office’s written request that the survey not be carried out in public with reference to the ongoing audits of the Schlosshotel Igls, for example, was not initially accepted by the committee.
He received the order to inspect the Schlosshotel Igls from his superior; the application was submitted at the end of 2020. The period in question is 2016 to 2022. The respondent said he had no knowledge of interventions to reduce taxes.
Office full of organizational charts of the Signa complex
An example of the nested Signa complex was outlined in the survey: Chalet N, for example, was a business asset of Muxel Berggasthof Schlössle GmbH, which rented it out to the Signa Luxury Collection. However, the rental fee was not paid for a few years, and the rent was temporarily not adjusted, and a rent waiver of 15 years was also agreed.
In his audit, the auditor complained that the claims were not bearing interest, which was unusual in the industry. The rent arrears ultimately amounted to around 6 million euros. According to the examiner, the nesting of the Signa also meant that his superior’s office was temporarily plastered with organograms, to put it bluntly.
Opposition sees special treatment for favorites
In advance of the committee, the opposition complained regarding possible special treatment for people with relevant connections in politics, especially with the ÖVP. The events at the Innsbruck tax office show that it is “not important what you can do, but who you know,” said NEOS parliamentary group leader Yannick Shetty in his statement at the beginning.
Favorites like Benko found a system that made it easy to get what they wanted. NEOS sees a tax audit system in Innsbruck that imposes harassment on “annoying” people.
Greens: tip of the iceberg
Green Party leader Nina Tomaselli said that we were only at the tip of the iceberg in the Signa case, but we might already learn lessons. It is a good reason for politicians to think regarding how one can prevent someone from becoming rich by putting themselves above the rules that society has set for itself. It’s regarding shared responsibility; many were not just spectators, but also on the playing field of the shell game.
Andreas Hanger (ÖVP) saw little new, everything was known, but he was protective of the financial administration. In his statement he focused on the red-blue U-committee, which is taking place next week. There is a “super-worry-free program for billionaires,” said SPÖ parliamentary group leader Kai Jan Krainer, and taxpayers would help finance the luxury lives of billionaires. Christian Ries (FPÖ) accused the ÖVP of having exploited its power and was reminiscent of the saying “whore of the rich”.
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