Wifo-Chief Felbermayr Demands "Big Throw" in the Budget
"We now have to present a plan for over seven years - there will probably actually be a need for the famous chainsaw in a few corners of the thicket," said Wifo Chief Gabriel Felbermayr on Thursday.
Wifo Chief Felbermayr Advocates for Pension Cutbacks
Felbermayr believes it is necessary to discuss "without taboos" in all areas and also addressed pensions. "If you take back a bit of what has been done in recent years in terms of pension adjustments above inflation, if you take that back a bit, then you have a permanent effect that quickly goes into the billions of euros." It would not be reasonable to tell the young and working generation, "pensions are sacrosanct and nothing can be done about them".
Commitment to Qualified Immigration and Free Trade Required
The new Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce, Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, had invited leading economic researchers to exchange ideas on how to achieve more economic growth and consolidate the budget. Hattmannsdorfer reported that they had mainly discussed three topics. A very central question was price competitiveness. "We have priced ourselves out of the market in recent years, especially in the area of unit labour costs, which concerns labour costs." But this also involves energy and bureaucracy costs. In addition, it must be possible to achieve more hours worked again by creating performance incentives for extra work.
It is also important to commit to qualified immigration, without which we cannot manage the demographic change in the labour market. A clear commitment to free trade and an open economy is equally necessary. "We live from foreign trade, we live from exports and we also live from a globally open trade policy," said the Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce.
There have been export losses in the Eurozone, "because we could not devalue there," explained the head of Wifo. The fact that business with the USA went well, "is no reason to sit back comfortably, because the weak Euro has helped us there. But the weak Euro is a threat to prosperity." When the currency is weak, purchasing power is lost and imports become more expensive. "This is not good for our prosperity."
Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce Against Free Climate Ticket and Climate Bonus
EcoAustria Director Monika Köppl-Turyna referred to a forecast by Statistics Austria, according to which Austria would have 1.7 million fewer people of working age in 40 years without migration. To mobilise more women for the labour market, more money could be invested in expanding childcare, the economic researcher believes. This would not only benefit women, but also the better education of children. However, it must be better controlled whether the money intended for this is used correctly.
Hattmannsdorfer advocated critically examining "gifts that were distributed with a watering can". "If you can't afford to give every 18-year-old a climate ticket, then it's legitimate for politics to think about it." It is also legitimate to question the climate bonus, which was "primarily a money distribution action with a watering can".
(APA/Red)
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