Debt level rises

Tyrol budget: where there is a lot of light, there is also shadow

Governor Anton Mattle explained the key points of the government budget in parliament.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Record income, expenditure and debt, but are Tyroleans better off than in previous years? This question was controversially discussed in the Tyrolean state parliament on Wednesday. The budget is to be adopted on Thursday. 

Comparisons with other federal states are popular with the government, especially if they make Tyrol look better. During meetings with his counterparts, it became clear to him "that if the budget situation comes to a head, the hat is already on fire in other provinces", explained LH Mattle during the general debate in the provincial parliament on Wednesday.

The government praises, the opposition criticizes. The truth lies somewhere in between.

LH Anton Mattle

 At 1704 euros, Tyrol still has an extremely low per capita debt compared to the rest of Austria. The state will have to borrow 148 million euros in 2025 in addition to the existing shortfall of almost 1.2 billion euros, which is a six-fold increase compared to 2019. "The debt is due to two economic stimulus packages. The money has not disappeared, but has reached the people," emphasized VP finance spokesperson LA Martin Mayerl. Tyrol is bucking the negative trend in the form of an ongoing recession through its own efforts.

This government is a world champion in producing headlines, but when it comes to implementing them, it is playing in the regional league.

FP-Chef Markus Abwerzger

"Unemployment in Tyrol remains at the lowest end of the Austrian scale. Austria's economy is having a harder time than Tyrol's. And tourism in particular remains a rock for us," emphasized LH Mattle. He did not want to leave a mountain of debt for future generations, "this is a budget that we can live with," Mattle said, referring to a debt ratio of 25 percent.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

The budget lacks relief for the people 
"This budget lacks relief for the citizens," countered Fritz-LA Markus Sint: "The fact that 1.3 billion is not a mountain of debt proves that the government is governing out of touch." This can be seen in the example of the MCI, which, as reported, LH Mattle has finally put on ice. The budget is also "lacking in courage, juice and strength" because structural reforms are missing, according to Sint. He cited massive departures in the healthcare sector as an example. "How do 33 mayors get to run a hospital? This should be taken over by the state, but the municipalities should be tasked with implementing the right to childcare."

15.5 million euros disappear from the social budget without the provincial parliament knowing exactly which association receives how much. We will clear this up.

Liste Fritz-LA Markus Sint

"Today I am here as a prosecutor and not as a defender," said FP leader Markus Abwerzger: "There will be an investigation into the MCI disaster. Either in the form of a committee of inquiry or through the provincial audit office." Abwerzger criticized "completely non-transparent costs" in the area of migration. He estimated €150 million, with €80 million going towards minimum security. He expects a clear sanction mechanism for the asylum code: "Those who can work should be integrated into the labor market."

Neos: "Debt backpack is getting heavier and heavier"
Green Party leader Gebi Mair is reminded of the TV show "Pfusch am Bau" when he watches the government at work. There are "zero euros" in the budget for the MCI renovation. At the same time, the government wants to make cost explosions forgotten, "but people don't forget"! Neos-LA Susanna Riedlsberger said that the budget was "pure show". It is to be passed in the Tyrolean state parliament on Thursday.