The tariff system will be based on the square meter size of the respective apartment. Up to 60 square meters, 300 euros will be due, up to 130 square meters 450
Vienna – People who have a second home in Vienna will have to pay a tax in future – unless they also have a main residence in the city. The corresponding draft law is being examined today, Thursday, according to City Councillor for Finance Peter Hanke (SPÖ). The decision should be made in the first half of next year. The fee will then become due at the beginning of 2025.
The tariff system will be based on the square meter size of the respective apartment. The charge will be levied once a year for each apartment, regardless of how many people have registered a second home there. The basic annual amounts will be staggered. Up to 60 square meters 300 euros are due, up to 130 square meters 450 euros. Larger properties have to pay 550 euros.
According to the town hall, the basic amounts are supplemented by various surcharges and discounts in order to take into account different locations and conditions. The number of second homes also plays a role in the calculation. For example, a surcharge of 50 percent is provided for every second or additional apartment. There are reductions for apartments without an electricity supply. Exceptions are also included in the draft. These relate to student residences, care homes and residential homes for workers, for example.
Comparison with other federal states
Vienna’s City Councillor for Finance, Hanke, explained that a “reassessment” of the tax system was necessary in view of the challenging overall economic situation “in order to maintain the city’s quality of life in the future”. In future, the income from the second-home tax is to contribute to maintaining the city’s infrastructure and cultural offerings, among other things. The city had announced the introduction of a second home levy at the same time as waiving the collection of a GIS provincial levy as part of the switch to the ORF household levy.
Reactions from Neos and the Greens
Neos budget spokesperson Markus Ornig emphasized that the fee would not place an additional burden on the Viennese. “We have seen that similar models have already been implemented in other Austrian federal states,” he emphasized.
The Vienna Greens see the proposal as only a “half-hearted attempt”, as they stated. It was proposed that unoccupied apartments should also be taxed. “Every vacant apartment robs those looking for a home of a home. While Tyrol, Salzburg, Styria and Vorarlberg have already introduced or initiated vacancy taxes, Vienna remains too hesitant in the fight against vacant apartments,” criticized party leader Judith Pühringer.
Source Der Standard – Translated from the German
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