Vacancy tax will be abolished: Styria is fighting against the housing crisis!

Vacancy tax will be abolished: Styria is fighting against the housing crisis!

Something is brewing in the Styrian housing situation. The state government has decided to abolish the planned vacancy tax. Originally intended to alleviate the housing shortage, the measure has turned out to be a bureaucratic monster. Loud ad hoc news The tax for a 100 square meter apartment was a maximum of 1,000 euros per year, which was simply not enough to motivate landlords to put their vacant properties on the market. Instead, high administrative costs and the need to closely examine the reason for the vacancy barely reduced the vacancy rate.

A look beyond Styria shows that there is also a debate about similar measures in Vienna. It is estimated that around 80,000 apartments are empty here. The city government is considering introducing its own tax for second homes and vacant properties, but there are no concrete steps yet. The Greens are committed to a progressive staggering of this levy, but an agreement with the coalition is still pending.

The current situation in the housing market is explosive. In Austria, real estate prices have more than doubled in the last 15 years, while living space is increasingly viewed as an object of speculation. It is estimated that the number of vacant homes is between 230,000 and 650,000, but there is little reliable data on this, making effective political action difficult. How ( moment ) highlights, appropriate measures could provide clear figures and thus improve the situation.

Experts also report that a vacancy tax could definitely have an impact on rentals. The Momentum Institute estimates that an effective levy could encourage around 198,000 owners to rent out their empty apartments. The estimate is based on data from Statistics Austria and the Austrian National Bank and could bring the state up to 1.8 billion euros annually. These funds could then be used to finance social housing, which is of utmost importance for many cities. A low tax rate, on the other hand, would only attract a small number of empty apartments to rent, while a higher tax rate of over 100 euros per square meter per year would have a significantly greater impact Momentum Institute.

The persistently high rental prices underline the need for action. Between 2010 and 2020, the cost of private primary rentals increased by 50%. Meanwhile, it is clear that urbanization and rising rental prices go hand in hand. Future measures should therefore not only target empty apartments, but also take new construction technology and innovative approaches to living space into account. The goal remains to create more living space without putting further strain on unsealed areas.

The debate about the vacancy tax shows that the housing crisis in Austria is complex and that there are no simple solutions in sight. Real progress requires a change in thinking and, above all, the courage to change.