Vienna plans vacancy levy for flats

The Vienna city government today signalled a basic willingness to introduce a vacancy tax. However, the federal government is needed for this.

Green housing spokesman Georg Prack, however, sees the fact that the responsibility is immediately shifted back to the federal government as a delaying tactic: “A moderate levy on vacant flats in Vienna is legally possible at any time. Vienna does not have to wait for the federal government. Vienna can lead the way in combating housing vacancies. This is shown by preliminary work on similar measures in other federal provinces. The public infrastructure costs would in any case justify a moderate vacancy tax at the provincial level,” says Prack.

The housing spokesman also criticises the Vienna city government’s negative attitude towards a vacancy survey: “Only regular monitoring of the housing vacancy rate in Vienna creates the basis for a fact-based housing policy. The last vacancy survey dates back to 2015 and is based on an estimate. We finally need reliable data on the housing vacancy rate. It is frightening that a modern city administration does not know how many flats in Vienna are vacant in the long term,” said Prack.

Source: ImmoFokus, 08.11.2021

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