Special tax of 1,000 euros: Schaider demands contribution from every Austrian!

Special tax of 1,000 euros: Schaider demands contribution from every Austrian!

Österreich - Peter Schaider, operator of shopping centers, presented a plan to renovate the budget today. His proposal, which provides for a special tax of 1,000 euros or 3% of the assets, should enable urgent measures to combat budget deficit in Austria. This so-called BNK tax, named after ex-finance minister Magnus Brunner, ex-chancellor Karl Nehammer and ex-Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler, could bring in around 15 billion euros for a population of 9.2 million people and about 7.5 million people over 20 years. Schaider criticizes the handling of public funds, which he compares to bankruptcy in companies and demands that every citizen make his contribution to improving the budget situation. Exceptions for students and minimum pensioners should be taken into account, but here the entrepreneur also sees financing options.

his proposal provides for the tax to be limited to one year to react quickly. At the same time, the political discussion on budget consolidation continues to struggle for concrete measures. Possible measures are presented in many places, but there is a lack of overall economic evaluation. The aim is to consolidate different approaches to show the actual need. Experts attach great importance to the fact that larger measures are easier to quantify and be feasible than many small ones. Consuming taxes should be weighted as the most important factor, while asset -related tax tends to have lower multipliers.

Current measures for budget consolidation

The National Council decided on March 7, 2025, new measures for budget consolidation, which were published in the Federal Law Gazette on March 18, 2025. Financial savings include the extended peak tax rate of 55% for income parts over one million euros by 2029 and the lifting of the tax exemption for photovoltaic modules from April 1, 2025. This also applies to electrically powered vehicles whose tax exemption also ends at the same time.

expected income and political measures

The estimates for budget consolidation show that measures could generate around 5.7 billion euros in 2025, followed by 5.2 billion euros in 2026 and 5.3 billion euros in 2027. Planned changes include the increase in income tax, VAT and property tax, as well as the abolition of the climate bonus and the adjustments to the pensions. Further measures concern the increase in tobacco tax and an adjustment of the bank tax, which is intended to take up to 200 million euros annually.

Overall, these suggestions reflect the urgency with which Austrian politics reacts to the current budget situation. The discussion about BNK tax shows the need to have a broad debate about financial responsibility and government spending. The upcoming reforms in areas such as federalism, administration, pensions, health and education also require careful review and must be anchored in a government agreement to make sustainable progress.