Money for properties

The housing package from Vienna ends up in the state parliament

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

More money is to flow into the purchase of properties. The opposition wants a higher vacancy tax, the government does not.

Following the municipal elections, the city, with its new red-dark-red-green majority, has already announced its intention to enter the building land business in a big way. Ten million euros a year are to be made available for the purchase of land on which subsidized rental apartments are to be built. The Black-Blue coalition in the state is also active in land transactions and wants to raise more money for new residential building land via Land-Invest.

Housing Minister Martin Zauner receives money for Land-Invest.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

How much money will actually flow into properties is still open. First of all, Land-Invest's equity capital is to be increased to ten million euros. This will be decided today, Wednesday, in the state parliament. With the latest housing package, the federal government wants to enshrine the contractual land regulations in the constitution. This means that certain conditions will be attached to the designation of building land. This would also enhance the value of land investment.

Federal government allows higher vacancy levy
Another part of the federal government's housing package was an effective vacancy levy that the federal states can collect. Salzburg already has a vacancy tax. This is considered toothless due to the comparatively low amount of more than 1000 euros in exceptional cases only. The SPÖ and the Greens have now prepared urgent motions for Wednesday to increase the levy. The black-blue coalition sees no need for this.