FPÖ and NEOS against

Vacancy tax passed in the National Council

On Wednesday, the National Council passed the vacancy tax for apartments with a constitutional majority. Such levies are already in place in most federal states, although they can only be imposed to a limited extent.

Now the federal government has given the green light, so to speak. In addition to the coalition, the SPÖ also agreed. However, the ÖVP emphasized on Wednesday that this was not a new federal tax, but rather a change in jurisdiction. As it is difficult to determine the actual vacancy rate of apartments, it would be good if the federal states had the competence here, said housing spokesman Johann Singer.

Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) justified the focus on housing construction with the "crazy popularity" of the KPÖ. She had hoped to only read more about this party in the history books. "We want to get to the root of vacancies," said Green Party MP Nina Tomaselli.

SPÖ: Will not solve housing shortage
The SPÖ said it had nothing against the vacancy tax, but it alone would not solve the housing shortage. The party also wants a rent cap and an interest rate cap. In addition, excess profits of the banks should be skimmed off.

Rejection came from the Freedom Party and the NEOS. Susanne Fürst (FPÖ) spoke of an encroachment on the fundamental right to property and a kind of wealth tax. The NEOS believe that this would further exacerbate the confusion of competences. In addition, they miss an upper limit for the fees for the federal states.

230,000 vacant apartments
In a press release, the environmental organization Greenpeace described the vacancy tax as an "important step (...) to finally reduce land consumption." According to the organization, there are currently 230,000 vacant apartments in Austria. However, the levy would have to be effective and socially responsible.