Gewessler warns: abolishing the climate bonus is a mass tax through the back door!

Gewessler warns: abolishing the climate bonus is a mass tax through the back door!

In a dramatic political exchange, Green Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler strongly denounced the blue-black coalition's planned austerity measures. Led by the FPÖ and the ÖVP, the government intends to realize massive savings amounting to 6.4 billion euros, which should directly lead to the cancellation of the climate bonus introduced by Gewessler. “The end of the climate bonus is nothing more than a mass tax through the back door,” warns the minister, who describes these cuts as ideologically motivated and dangerous. She emphasizes that the measures seriously threaten the quality of life of people in Austria.

How Today.at reports, Gewessler also criticized the planned cuts in other environmental measures, such as the abolition of the free climate ticket for 18-year-olds. She accused the coalition of undermining climate policy successes and instead burdening citizens while CO₂ pricing remains in place but compensation is canceled. This would put a double burden on people – with higher living costs and less support for energy costs.

Political consequences and public reaction

The minister demands that the government should provide more support for the energy transition and climate protection instead of punishing people who actively contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions. According to her, the savings plans are socially unfair and send a “fatal sign” for Austria’s climate policy future. “The cuts plans are a clear message that everything that protects the climate and secures our future should become more expensive according to the will of the FPÖ and ÖVP,” added Gewessler oe24.at.