In Styria

Lawsuit against ORF levy: decision draws closer

The ORF regional studio in Marburger Straße in Graz

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

In contrast to some other federal states, Styria continues to adhere to the ORF state levy. Three opposition parties are taking the matter to the Constitutional Court. A new expert opinion has now been submitted, so a decision could be made soon.

Since this year, (almost) all households in Austria have had to pay a household fee for ORF. Across the country, the standard fee is 15.30 euros. Some federal states add their own state fee. In Styria, this amounts to 4.70 euros. This means that a total of 20 euros per month has to be paid. 

Just over 30 million euros flow into the province of Styria every year. The money is used exclusively for culture and sport. Without the levy, financing would have to come from the current budget, which would be difficult, argues the black-red state government.

New report submitted
Neos, FPÖ and the Greens nevertheless want to bring down the state tax and challenged it at the Constitutional Court in November last year. Following an initial formal review in January, Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) was invited to present his views in a statement. The three opposition parties have now countered with a legal opinion by the lawyer and constitutional expert Wolfram Proksch. This means that the constitutional judges could soon make a decision.

Neos club leader Niko Swatek is confident of victory: "This unfair burden must come to an end. If the Constitutional Court overturns the state tax, it will trigger a chain reaction throughout Austria." 

Aside from the legal aspect, FPÖ leader Mario Kunasek also sees adherence to the state tax as a political decision: "All federal states with FPÖ government participation have already abolished this state tax or made clear decisions in this direction."