Opposition to the budget:

“Innsbruck broke, reaching into citizens’ pockets”

The red-green-white coalition in Innsbruck City Hall wants to maintain political leeway despite falling revenues and is planning to take on €59 million in new debt to implement its plans. The operating budget is also in the red, with a budget gap of €13 million for 2025 in the worst-case scenario.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

59 million in new debt, a city account that is hopelessly overdrawn and fee increases: Liste Fritz criticizes "ripping off the people" through fee increases, for the FPÖ the city is "financially broke". 

Investments of almost €60 million 100% on credit and a minus of up to €13 million in the operating budget, which only remains liquid by overspending: Innsbruck's budget for 2025 is a gamble. Above all because it is not clear how the city is to extricate itself from the financial crisis that is also looming for the coming years. The Finance Advisory Board with experts from the University of Innsbruck will now be tasked with finding a way out of the financial crisis and with longer-term financial planning, announced Mayor Johannes Anzengruber.

What bothers me most is the constant ripping off of the people. Tax revenues are falling and the first thing the Caprese coalition comes up with is fee increases.

Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider, Liste Fritz

"Sad but true, Innsbruck can no longer even pay the 'rent'. The operating budget is in the red and that means that it is no longer even possible to service the fixed costs," FPÖ Member of the City Council Markus Lassenberger commented yesterday. The city would have to take out a loan of 35 million euros, increase the fees substantially "and thus reach into the pockets of the population in order to at least remain capable of acting," said Lassenberger. As head of the Caprese coalition, Anzengruber has succeeded in becoming Innsbruck's "debt emperor" in a very short space of time.

Markus Lassenberger, non-executive FPÖ city councillor in Innsbruck.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

The budget is not based on the will to save money, "but is only about implementing caprese prestige projects". As a local councillor, he was glad "not to be part of this government".

"Anzengruber didn't save money on the chalet renovation"
"What bothers me most is the constant ripping off of people. Tax revenues are falling and the first thing the Caprese coalition comes up with is fee increases. Anzengruber would be better off giving up his expensive chalet conversion instead of constantly reaching into people's pockets," says Liste-Fritz-GR Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider. Because the fees in Innsbruck are way up anyway. "As a result, people who can no longer afford the expensive life in Innsbruck have to apply to the city for help again." She misses initiatives "that make people's lives cheaper, not more expensive", said the Fritz municipal councillor.