The bonus of 500 euros per adult and 250 euros per child, intended to counter the additional costs linked to the ecological transition and the war in Ukraine, has been granted since the beginning of September “to all those who can prove that they have a regular main residence in Austria” for a period of at least six months in 2022, explained to AFP a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Martina Stemmer.
Consequently, it is paid to all deceased persons who are still in the tax register and “it is not legally possible to recover it”, specifies the ministry. The sum then goes to the heirs of the deceased, some of whom have turned to the Austrian press, surprised at not being able to make this money public, unduly received according to them.
This oddity is fueling a heated debate in Austria, a prosperous country in central Europe currently implementing ambitious tax reforms to fight once morest global warming.
