Chamber of Commerce provides new impetus for trade: goodbye to paperwork!

Chamber of Commerce provides new impetus for trade: goodbye to paperwork!

On February 27, 2025, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) presented the new government program with a number of important measures that is intended to strengthen trading companies. Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the federal trade division, emphasized that the coalition negotiations made it possible to anchor key trade concerns in the government agreement. The positive aspects include the reduction in bureaucracy, the increase in tax incentives for overtime and the introduction of a reform that should make it possible to reward employee services of up to 1,000 euros tax-free without being bound to the collective agreement. The new regulations and the planned approaches to reducing non-wage labor costs are of great importance for retailers, especially in times of declining sales.

Current challenges in European trade

The board meeting of the European trade association EuroCommerce recently took place in Brussels, which was attended by high-profile representatives of the WKÖ. How wko.at reports, a study was presented showing that around a third of total European emissions can be attributed to trade. What is particularly noteworthy is that 98% of these emissions do not come directly from trading companies, but are due to activities along the value chain. Trefelik emphasizes that trade plays a central role and communication between suppliers and customers must be strengthened in order to promote sustainable developments.

Another topic at the meeting was the upcoming deforestation regulation, which is due to take effect from December 31, 2024. Trefelik expressed concerns about the training provided and described the preparation time given by commercial companies as insufficient. Numerous companies are affected by the regulation, so Trefelik and his colleagues are urging the need for an extension of the deadline and for better information offerings. They also discussed the challenges in online trading, particularly due to growing platforms from third countries such as Temu and Shein. The WKÖ is calling for more consistent action against these in order to ensure fair competitive conditions for European retailers and to better enforce existing regulations.