In danger of transparency: Viennese double budget causes massive concerns!

In danger of transparency: Viennese double budget causes massive concerns!

The budget policy of the city of Vienna is under sharp criticism after the double budget has raised concerns about lack of transparency. "The lack of transparency in Vienna is increasingly accepting," said Markus Wölbitsch and Manfred Juraczka from the ÖVP in the municipal council on Tuesday. This practice, which was already used in 2022/2023 and 2024/2025, complicates the adaptation to current challenges and leads to a "blind flight" in budget planning. The elimination of the public budget debate also prevents necessary discussions about high budget adjustments, which, according to the critics, leads to a loss of control over the city's finances, as the FPÖ and the Greens indicate, so ots.at

City Councilor Peter Hanke (SPÖ), however, defended the decision for a double budget and argued that two years of planning would make sense in uncertain economic times. In addition, Hanke mentioned that a review of the current double budget practice for 2026 is in prospect, while the ÖVP and the Greens indicate an impending deficit of 3.8 billion euros for 2025. This sum was referred to as the "Vienna gap for the Bundes budget", and Hanke is expected to present a detailed status report on financial matters in January. A transparent preparation of the numbers and content is required to address the concerns regarding the ambiguities in budget planning, both parties confirmed in their statement, such as Today. reported.