Focus on sugar plans

Why Austria does not need more ministers

Personnel costs under the black-green government have already exceeded those of previous governments.

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The "Zuckerl" coalition should be in place before the date of the regional elections in Burgenland. One thing is certain: the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS will have to make savings and for this reason alone will not put more money into even more ministries, but will also start saving money on their own.  

Does a coalition with more parties also need more ministerial posts? While the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos are still trying to work this out in the new year, krone.at users have already made up their minds. 96 percent are clearly against the plans of key negotiators in the Zuckerl coalition to increase government posts from 14 to at least 16 in future. And for good reasons.

The multi-billion euro budget gap may soon force us into an austerity dictate from Brussels, but it will certainly also force us all to make massive savings in the coming years. Depending on whether the seven-year red-white-red budget consolidation is accompanied by an EU deficit procedure or not, either 18.4 or 18.1 billion euros will have to be saved by 2031, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. As reported several times, measures such as the climate bonus and educational leave (in its current form) are likely to be scrapped quickly. A government that makes savings for its citizens should therefore start with itself.

Which brings us to the next good reason. As revealed in parliamentary question responses from SPÖ party leader Philip Kucher to former ÖVP Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, the staff of the black-green federal government cost taxpayers a whopping 109,000 per day and 39,889,456.31 euros per year in 2023. In comparison: under former SPÖ Chancellor Christian Kern and his former ÖVP Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, the costs only amounted to 25,282,389 euros just seven years ago.

No "saving in the system"
The current federal government explains the increase partly due to additional costs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, one thing is certain: the promised "savings in the system" remained a "whatever the cost" in the government apparatus. Black and Green employed a record number of press spokespersons, posted record expenditure in the government's personnel apparatus and recorded exploding expenditure on PR. The personnel costs for two additional ministries alone would cost taxpayers at least around 3 million per year, based on the Black-Green data for 2023.

By inflating the political apparatus, the Zuckerl coalition would also be gambling away political capital. The Freedom Party is already making massive gains in the polls anyway. The secret plans for additional ministries could also play into the Blue Party's hands. "They are only interested in their posts and the population should pay. A declaration of bankruptcy even before the start," is the reaction of Blue Party Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz to the "Krone" report.