Abolition of Multiple Payments of ORF Fees for Companies

On Wednesday, the government reached an agreement on the final details, and the plan is to be presented to the Constitutional Committee on Monday. In the future, each company will only pay the ORF fee once, with the fee amount still being calculated based on the total payroll.

Number of Company Locations Irrelevant for ORF Fee in the Future

"The old system disproportionately penalized companies with multiple locations," noted NEOS media spokesperson Henrike Brandstötter in a statement. Smaller businesses, in particular, were hit hard by the multiple charges. According to NEOS, the reform will relieve over 20,000 companies by around ten million euros per year. The ORF Contribution Service GmbH (OBS) is also expected to save costs, as the effort to review applications from companies seeking leniency will be eliminated, according to the party.

The Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) saw the new regulation as a "huge success" for thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises in a statement. "In economically still very challenging times, this brings the companies a very important, directly noticeable financial relief," it said. For a few months now, there has also been an agreement among the government factions that the right of the provincial governors to be heard in the appointment of ORF regional directors should be abolished. This is intended to strengthen the independence of the ORF.

(APA/Red)

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