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Freuen sich über die Details der Öko-Steuerreform: Verkehrsministerin Leonore Gewessler und Parteichef Werner Kogler.
© APA
Vienna – On Friday evening the legislative package to green the tax system was presented to the National Council. On Saturday, Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler and Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler of the Greens presented next steps. The focus is the increase in the standard consumption tax (NoVA) for high-emission cars. “Stinks are getting more expensive,” says Kogler.
Since traffic is a child problem in Austria’s CO2 balance, the turquoise green federal government is further adapting the NoVA. In the future, it should also apply to all vehicles classified as small trucks. The same is true for SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans, which are considered small trucks and are often registered as such by companies. For the Greens, this is seen as closing a gap. Green vehicles are now explicitly exempt from NoVA not only in electric vehicles, but also in hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The criticism comes from car clubs. The ÖAMTC warned in a broadcast on Saturday that further increases would affect families in particular. For the ARBÖ, this project is “incomprehensible, unfair and not social”. There is also anger among car importers. “What is happening now is the attempt to push for tax increases at a surprising moment in the midst of the lockdown without taxation and without the participation of the automobile industry,” criticizes Günther Kerle, spokesman for Austrian car importers. “In the application filed now, we do not see a spread of the NoVA as previously announced according to the ecological aspects, but after the initial analysis a de facto tax increase on all classes of vehicles.”
There are also changes in the commuter flat rate (company bikes, public transport network cards and season tickets are also completely exempt from non-monetary benefits) and repair services (in the future the reduced tax rate of the ten percent). The ÖBB is happy with the tax exemption for green electricity generated by the railway.
For environmental protection organizations, the package could have gone further. The Tirol Mobility Councilor and head of Greens, Ingrid Felipe, was naturally pleased and spoke of “important pillars to ensure that costs are real in transport.” (TT, APA)
