Andreas Babeler: "I think we have a good drive now"

2023-08-29 05:10:00

Two weeks ago, Beate Meinl-Reisinger lived up to her title as the quick talker among party leaders in the ORF summer talks.

On Monday, Andreas Babler outstripped the Neos boss in this discipline in his first such appearance. Perhaps the motive for moderator Susanne Schnabl to have the SP chairman answer the last three questions without words at the end of a 45-minute staccato in “Sprechzimmer 23”. Hand on heart was Babler’s final gesture, with which he wanted his political style to be understood.

Until then, Babler hardly missed an opportunity to show that as the mayor of Traiskirch, who is currently touring through Austria, he was much closer to the people and thus to their concerns and needs than his competitors.

Which should make him warm up to the detailed anticipation of the special session in the National Council on inflation scheduled by the SPÖ and FPÖ on Wednesday. Cap rents, intervene in interest rates at banks, cancel VAT on staple foods, according to the embassies. The new thing about it: If the inflation rate is back to two percent, one could talk about reducing government intervention.

Video: SP boss Andreas Babler in the ORF summer talk:

No faster than 100 km/h

It became more difficult, for example, with issues that were controversial within the SP: whether he really only ever drove a maximum of 100 km/h on the motorway? “Yes, always. We want to stick to our guidelines” and create awareness.

In the fight against the climate crisis, however, the key is anyway a “master plan for transport”. He wanted “everyone in rural areas to have public transport within a 15-minute walk”. Whether against inflation, for a climate or education offensive – the main sources of funding for his program are wealth and inheritance taxes. Babler already presented a draft of this during the day (see box). As chancellor, he would “guarantee that 96 percent of people would have to pay less tax.” The rest would do their fair share. Is the fulfillment of this point actually his “red line” in coalition negotiations? From the EU to the OECD, everywhere it is confirmed that in Austria the taxation of wealth is too low and that of work too high. He couldn’t imagine that someone “wants to leave this injustice the way it is”.

“Direct election” of the Presidency

With regard to the SP special party conference in autumn, Babler confirmed that strengthening member participation remains his “main concern”. The high priority” is the direct election of the chairmanship. The federal chairman also sees skeptical state organizations such as those in Vienna behind him (“We have all seen that there is a need”).

On the subject of the Ukraine war, Babeler stated that under him the SP ranks would be closed if President Volodymyr Zelenskyj gave a speech in parliament. When he made the “mistake” of once voting against Austria’s EU membership, he was “in good company with the Federal President and the Vice Chancellor”. Leaving would be “an absolute taboo” for him today.

Despite the weak polls for the SPÖ, Babeler thinks: “We now have a good drive.” His most important goal is to “prevent black and blue with all the madness that we have experienced” in the National Council elections.

Details on the SP inheritance tax model

Before the summer talks, the SPÖ launched – the Tiroler Tageszeitung was the first to report – clarifications on what it was asking for inheritance tax. Accordingly, for inheritances and gifts an allowance of up to one million euros apply. All inheritances and gifts over 30 years but should be added together.

According to SP calculations, 98 percent of inheritances in Austria remained tax-free. Should fall real estate transfer tax. So far, this has been due to inheritors of the property and amounts to up to 3.5 percent.

Video: In the studio, political scientist Peter Filzmaier and journalist Johanna Hager (“Kurier”) analyze the summer talks with Andreas Babler.

For amounts between one million and five million euros, according to SP plans 25 percent inheritance tax apply. With an inheritance of two million euros, 250,000 euros in taxes would be due. The tax should be between five million and ten million euros 30 percentfrom ten million euros up 35 percent climb.

If a business is handed over to heirs, 85 percent of the business assets are not taxed if the business is continued with the employees for at least five years. Such a regulation already exists in Germany.

criticism came from the economically liberal think tank Agenda Austria as well as from VP Business Association. Agenda Austria called the SP plans “symbolic politics”. The “highest tax country Austria” does not need any new taxes. From the point of view of the Economic Association, “the SPÖ is trying to overtake the KPÖ on the left”.