Environmental protection organization criticizes subsidies for new buildings and the associated soil sealing – welcomes simplifications in the vacancy fee
Vienna (OTS) – Greenpeace assesses the construction stimulus package presented by the government today as mixed: The environmental protection organization criticizes the fact that the planned high subsidies for new construction will continue to seal enormous areas of land. At 780 million euros, significantly more money will flow into new construction than into the renovation of existing buildings. Although the package specifies an obligation for multi-storey construction, there are no further ecological support criteria for new buildings. Greenpeace sees the fact that the vacancy tax should be simplified as positive.
“The renovation rate in Austria is less than two percent, while at the same time a good third of all buildings in Austria need to be renovated. There is a lot of room for improvement here. In times of climate and species crisis, spending more funding on new buildings instead of renovations is irresponsible,” says Greenpeace soil protection spokeswoman Melanie Ebner. According to the federal government’s “construction and housing offensive” presented today, new construction is to be funded with 780 million euros, while only 220 million euros are earmarked for renovations. Greenpeace considers that only multi-story buildings and non-profit housing should be funded as a good first step. However, it is regrettable that further ecological funding criteria such as mandatory PV systems are missing from the package.
Greenpeace sees it as positive that the package allows states to collect vacancy fees at state level. According to housing statistics, almost one in seven apartments in Austria was unregistered in 2021. Greenpeace demands that vacancies be collected as quickly as possible and that a mandatory vacancy tax be introduced in all federal states.
Questions & Contact:
Melanie Ebner
Soil protection spokesperson
Greenpeace in Austria
Tel.: +43 (0)664 46 15 019
E-Mail: melanie.ebner@greenpeace.org
Julia Karzel
Press spokesperson
Greenpeace in Austria
Tel.: + 43 (0) 664 88 17 22 51
Email: julia.karzel@greenpeace.org
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