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The government expects a deficit of 22.6 billion euros at the federal level alone.
© WHAT / GEORG HOCHMUTH
With the votes of the ÖVP and the Greens, the budget for 2021 was approved in the National Council on Thursday. The opposition as a whole rejected the budget for next year.
After a three-day debate, the National Council approved the federal budget for 2021 on Thursday night. The coalition ÖVP and Greens factions voted for this, while SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS voiced their criticisms chapter by chapter and finally rejected the budget for next year as a whole. The SPÖ’s return proposals for the budgetary and financial framework remained in the minority, as did a large number of motions for resolutions.
€ 22.6 billion deficit: 2021 budget shaped by the crown crisis
As in the current year, the 2021 budget will be determined by the crisis in the crown. With expenditures of 97.8 billion euros and revenues of 75.2 billion euros at the federal level alone, the government expects a deficit of 22.6 billion euros. That is 1.6 billion euros more than was supposed in mid-October. A general government deficit of 9.8 percent and a national debt rate of 87.9 percent are assumed. Some of those receiving the most money despite the crisis are the judiciary, the army and the police. In addition, there are economic, climate and research policy priorities.
The opposition rejected the budget for next year
While the ÖVP saw the budget as a fight for human life, jobs and business, and the Greens recognized a budget tinted in their party’s colors, the opposition was heavily criticized. The SPÖ missed a declaration of war on unemployment, the FPÖ spoke of a flight of responsibility, and NEOS would have liked to start the economic engine.
The criticisms on the last day were more moderate, especially in relation to the environment and infrastructure budget of Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The SPÖ highly praised the planned environment and rail investments, while the FPÖ, which owned the infrastructure under the turquoise blue, wanted to acknowledge a complete failure of the minister in the transport sector. Gewessler himself spoke of the fact that in Austria more money than ever was spent on climate protection. There are increases in the environmental budget for the Energy and Climate Fund (plus 117.6 percent) or for energy policy (plus 555.6 percent).
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