With the so-called craftsman bonus of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, private individuals can receive funding for work performed around the private living and living area. Minister of Economics Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer discussed today in Economic committeethat the funding measure should be evaluated. For 2024, the craftsman bonus intended that 20 % of the net work costs up to a funding amount of 2,000 ꞓ per person and residential unit can be reimbursed. In 2025, this amount should be 1,500 ꞓ. The report by the Minister of Economic Affairs on the craftsman bonus for 2024, which was unanimously noted.
The MPs also unanimously took note of a report on the hardship fund for the self -employed. Three proposals from the opposition to the topic of economic chambers were postponed with the votes of ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos.
50 million ꞓ paid for craftsmen 2024
According to the report for 2024 (III-96 d.B.) were submitted to the craftsman bonus at as of November 29, 2024. Of this, 64,890 applications in the funding amount of a total of 50.42 million ꞓ were paid out. This corresponds to an average amount of 777.07 ꞓ per application. In the ranking of the industries from more than half of the applications previously received, carpenters are places: inside, followed by painters: inside and painters: inside, gas and sanitary technology, master builder: inside and heating technology. Lower Austria is in front of Upper Austria and Styria in the applications to the state, in the last place in Burgenland.
When asked by Markus Hofer (NEOS), Minister of Economic Affairs Hattmannsdorfer discussed that the craftsman bonus should be evaluated and that preparations are underway. With his question, Hofer aimed, for example, on take -use effects, although the topic of great importance and was seen very positively in the field of craftsmanship. The latter also sees Laurenz Pöttinger (ÖVP). The support is a very valuable and generate added value and market stimulation. Elisabeth Götze (Greens) also sees the bonus as a good program in difficult times. The ranking of the industries is also worth mentioning. Hattmannsdorfer declared questions from Christoph Pramhofer (NEOS) regarding settlement costs that a uniform hourly rate was provided for in all funding on the basis of a statutory hourly tariff.
Hardening funds for the self -employed: Payout report for 2024
In addition to the former reports of the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the payments on measures from the Covid 19 crisis management fund and from the hardship fund from October 2021 to December 2023, the report on the Hardening Fund for 2024 is available (III-110 d.B.). According to this, the federal accounting agency received a residual rate of 49,000 ꞓ for the system examination of the hardship fund in December 2024.
Applications have been received for the hardship fund for the self -employed, according to the report on the reporting date of December 31, 2024, 2,362,484. 2,056,681 were done positively, with payments to conveyor: inside of 2.4 billion ꞓ. The conveyors: In the inside, in phases I to IV, the “trade/craft”, “Tourism/Gastronomy”, “Social/Health/Health/Care” and “trade” are primarily to be assigned to the industries I to IV. The hardship fund was handled on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Digitization and business location via the Austria Chamber of Commerce (WKO).
According to the report, the audit reports of the accounting agency were continuously sent to the National Council. In addition, summarizing the examination results and an final report for the ex-post examination are included in the system of the current report. The sample of the examination therefore included 2,500 conveyors: inside and a tested funding amount of 6.3 million ꞓ. Minus some special cases in which conveyors: in front of or during the ex-post examination or opened an insolvency procedure and therefore could not bring documents, a total of 2,478 conveyors: inside and a funding volume of 6.27 million ꞓ were examined. The accounting agency was able to confirm a total of 4.8 million ꞓ (76.8 %). Based on the results of the post -control, the WKO will initiate the necessary extrajudicial recovery, the report.
Like Elisabeth Götze (Greens), Melanie Erasim (SPÖ) questioned the results of post -check and the reclaims. Michael Fürtbauer (FPÖ) criticized that there would have been a regulation regarding the settlement with regard to the tax office unless the PandemieGes law had been “abolished”. According to Andreas Ottenschläger (ÖVP), the error rate is due to the fact that all minor amounts would also be found there and small deviations were included. Since it had to be quick in this case, the handling through the WKO was the right decision. Minister of Economics Hattmannsdorfer also confirmed that the processing by the WKO was exemplary.
FPÖ for the abolition of multiple mandatory memberships in the Chamber of Commerce
Under several claims of the opposition on the subject of the Chamber of Commerce, the FPÖ occurs with a motion for a resolution to complete the abolition of multiple mandatory memberships in the Chamber of Commerce136/A (e)). Freedomers speak out for a general abolition of compulsory membership to the Chamber of Commerce or an opting-out option. In any case, in a first step, the complete removal of the “non-acceptable multiple mandatory memberships” to the specialist groups in the interest of an urgently needed relief for domestic companies must take place, said FPÖ member Michael Fürtbauer in the committee. His group colleague Arnold Schiefer also demanded relief. In the first step, the WKO could grant discounts on multiple memberships.
On the part of the Neos, Markus Hofer spoke out for a constructive discussion about the reform of the chambers of business. ÖVP MP Carmen Jeitler-Cincelli pointed out that an opt-out possibility would create an imbalance from her point of view. A system change would therefore have to be discussed comprehensively, which is why it is pronounced for the application of the application.
Greens want to delete chamber levy 2 for the Chamber of Commerce
The Greens, on the other hand, want to change the Chamber of Commerce Act (55/A) From 2027, chamber levy 2 will be reduced by half and will be abolished from 2029. In addition, according to the Greens, the multiple payments of the basic levy should be eliminated in a membership in several specialist groups. Chamber levy 2, which was introduced in 1979, should, according to the Green Elisabeth Götze, grant the Chamber of Commerce the opportunity to financially promote the newly introduced worker at the time: Interior processing by grants to the members. However, these grants were stopped soon afterwards, so adjustment to this chamber levy was necessary. In the basic levy, there are sometimes multiple payments, which also leads to a non -justified additional burden on the companies concerned. In addition, more transparency and accountability obligations of all organizations of the commercial economy are necessary.
FPÖ MP Arnold Schiefer approved the Greens’ demands. From the point of view of Barbara Teiber (SPÖ), no change in the law should be made without first looking for the person concerned. She therefore submitted an adjointing application.
Greens: Direct selection of the business parliaments
In addition, the Greens speak out for a change from the Chamber of Commerce Court to anchor a direct election of the business parliaments (122/A (e)). This should take place with a separate ballot paper together with the voting for the specialist organization. Mandats allegations would also have to be explained before the election and can also be clearly shown on the ballot paper. In addition, a full passive right to vote for all chamber members with non-Austrian citizenship is needed.
The electoral system of the economic chambers has been criticized for the partly undemocratic, partly non -transparent practices, said Götze (Greens). The Chamber of Commerce Act specifies that only the specialist group committees and the specialist representatives are elected directly. All other elections would be carried out indirectly on the basis of these primary election results by extrapolating. This practice prefers existing structures and throws considerable constitutional concerns for the groups and the individual voters: inside. Again and again, when filling the higher levels, there is a mandate for a group of voters in favor of another, Götze criticized.
FPÖ MP Fürtbauer followed the demand for a change in the election regulations. However, he was skeptical about the demand for a full right to vote for foreign members. Jeitler-Cincelli (ÖVP) also expressed doubts about the meaningfulness of this demand. She pointed out that the current system creates a balance of interests between the divisions. A change in the electoral system is therefore a difficult procedure, which is why it is spoken in for the adjoining of the application. (Continued Economic Committee) MBU/SOX