Enormous data gaps

City of Graz: Vacancy tax is a long way off

Although the Green Deputy Mayor Judith Schwentner has increased the number of staff, a result is still a long way off.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stadtvermessungsamt Graz, Christian Jauschowetz)

The much-heralded vacancy tax is still a long time coming in Graz. It is now certain that no investor will pay a cent into the city's ailing coffers in 2024. The reason for this is a huge backlog of data. Other municipalities are also struggling with the issue.

He knew that it would be "tough". "But I wasn't prepared for the fact that we would have to do detective work," says Ernst Fischbacher, mayor of Ramsau am Dachstein.