Opposition raises the alarm: Styrian budget endangers our future!

Opposition raises the alarm: Styrian budget endangers our future!

In the state parliament of Styria, it is bubbling: The debate about the state budget 2025 causes heated discussions. The opposition, represented by the Neos, Greens and KPÖ, is alerted by the state government's plans. They find increasing debt, the lack of structural reforms and the savings in the budget.

"The budget is a huge mortgage to the future of the Styrians," said Neos club chairman Niko Swatek. He points out that the debt has been increasing continuously since 2012, with a forecast of around one billion euros in new debts in 2025 alone. For comparison, he uses Upper Austria, which has achieved an excess in this financial situation. According to the Kleine Zeitung by the end of 2025 the debt of 7.1 billion euros will expected.

expensive care and social imbalance

Another criticism comes from the Greens. Her club chairwoman Sandra Krautwaschl emphasizes the "massive incorrect controls" in the care sector. The costs for inpatient care increase from 2024 to 2025 by over 80 million euros. Krautwaschl demands new sources of income such as a truck toll on state roads and a gravel tax to relieve the financial burden.

The KPÖ, represented by MPs Alexander Melinz, criticizes the budget as a "start -up to a radical reduction budget". Here, too, a redistribution in favor of socially weaker groups is called for and, among other things, proposes a wealth tax as well as local transport and parking space. Melinz sees the danger that the social imbalance will deepen and that the necessary investments in infrastructure and social projects will fail.

Financial situation and outlook

The real financial situation is characterized by negative economic forecasts and rising unemployment figures. With a budget deficit of 1.5 billion euros, the initial situation for Financial State Councilor Willibald Ehrenhöfer is anything but rosy. When he took office, he was able to push the net linner balance up to 941.78 million euros. These are not an easy prerequisite for cope with the major challenges in the areas of social benefits, health and education.

The budget for 2025 comprises over 9 billion euros, including compulsory costs, investments and loan style. The largest individual items are the expenses for the hospitals, which cost 1.06 billion euros, followed by social expenses over 1 billion euros and the care costs of 922.5 million euros. The governor Mario Kunasek and the Vice-Landeshauptwoman Manuela Khom emphasize the need for important investments in the infrastructure, but with a zero-based budgeting process you can already announce the first steps to consolidate.

It remains to be seen how the situation will develop in the course of the debates in the state parliament. The "remaining budget" will be presented next week, and the financial framework is under considerable pressure to save. The pressure to reduce expenses in the coming years will be increasingly noticeable.

For the next time, exciting developments are to be expected - both with regard to the financial meaning and the social effects that the budget has on the Styrian citizens.