Commuter Allowance: Greens Want Reform

The transport spokesperson for the Greens, Lukas Hammer, feels validated by the response from Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) to a query from the Greens, which confirmed that the proportion of people with a commuter allowance and an annual income of more than 100,000 euros has doubled within just two years.

Commuter Allowance: Greens Advocate Conversion into Tax Deduction

According to the response in 2022, four percent of recipients in this salary class received the small allowance, and 2.3 percent received the large allowance. By 2024, the proportion for the small allowance increased to 7.3 percent of recipients and for the large allowance to 4.7 percent. Additionally, the more you earn, the more commuter allowance you receive. People with low incomes, who would need more support, receive less than those with high incomes, criticized Hammer, who once again calls for a reform for his party.

A conversion of the commuter allowance into a tax deduction is necessary, according to Hammer. "Every commute should be worth the same, regardless of how much you earn." The Green transport spokesperson generally questions whether it is really necessary, in times of budget constraints, to fully finance car commuting for top earners with an income of more than 100,000 euros a year.

The Greens also find it incomprehensible that car drivers receive support from a commuting distance of just two kilometers, while public transport commuters only receive it from 20 kilometers. This promotes urban sprawl and car traffic. "An ecological reform of commuter support must end the preferential treatment of car commuting over short distances compared to public transport commuting," is the demand.

Greens Criticize Increase in Proportion of Company Cars with Private Use

The proportion of company cars that are also used privately has also increased, as shown by the figures provided by the Finance Minister, criticized Hammer: From 2022 to 2024 alone, by over 28,000 or 17.6 percent. "Since the private use of company cars is still tax-privileged, the incentive for car commuting and the purchase of climate-damaging cars naturally increases," Hammer identifies a "multiple misdirection."

The Greens, on the other hand, have made public transport commuting significantly cheaper and easier in the last government with the climate ticket and improvements to the job ticket. As confirmed by the finance department's figures, the improvements to the job ticket have been "very well received" by companies and employees.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.