"Krone" commentary

Unfortunately only crumbs and no cake

A commentary by "Salzburg Krone" editor-in-chief Claus Pándi

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Julia Hürner)

Everyone is talking about saving money, except Wilfried Haslauer.

The governor used the quietest time of the year to demand more money for the provinces and municipalities. This demand has a lot to do with political folklore and unfortunately very little to do with economics.

Haslauer is talking about a different division of the tax pie. It should have been clear to everyone since October at the latest that there is no cake, only crumbs.

The legend of the cake was told by Karl Nehammer during the election campaign. Even then, more critical minds mistrusted the chancellor's recipe of the miracle cake. However, former Finance Minister Magnus Brunner only explained how bad Austria's financial situation really is after the elections. We had spent too much, he told us. No one will see it as naughty to simply describe Brunner's late clarification as cheeky.

Now Brunner will be sitting in the EU Commission for the next few years, well looked after, and his partner in derailed economic policy, former minister Martin Kocher, will be head of the National Bank. That's how things have always worked in Austria. And then you wonder why the country is in the position it is in now.

In the manner of a good businessman, the governor should first explain how the money comes into the coffers in the first place, before he considers what methods he can use to distribute it generously across the country.