Green Party slams budget cuts as families and women face austerity fallout
Nina Tomaselli, the Green Party's financial spokesperson, has criticised the government's latest budget cuts. She argues that families, pensioners, the unemployed and women are bearing the brunt of austerity measures. At the same time, she is pushing for banks to contribute more through a reformed levy system.
Tomaselli highlighted several areas where cuts have hit ordinary citizens. Taxes on electric vehicles and the cost of the Klimaticket have both risen. Climate protection funding has also been reduced, affecting thermal building renovations and energy efficiency programmes.
She warned that future budgets could bring even stricter austerity, placing further pressure on the public. In response, the Green Party plans to submit a parliamentary motion to extend and reform the bank levy. The proposed changes would shift the levy's focus from total balance sheet assets to excess profits. The party also wants to extend the levy until 2029. Since its introduction in 2023, the bank levy in Austria has already increased from 1.75% to 2.5%. The biggest payers in 2023 included Erste Bank (around €290 million), Raiffeisen Banking Group (€250 million) and UniCredit Bank Austria (€200 million).
The Green Party's motion aims to make banks pay a larger share of budget consolidation. If approved, the reform would target excess profits rather than overall assets. The government has yet to respond to the proposal.
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