Austria

Disclaimer: This article is compiled and summarized by the AI based on publicly available information and is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute any form of formal tax advice, legal opinion, or basis for performance. Please consult a qualified professional tax advisor or legal counsel for tax advice. Source: Read Official Announcement

Disclaimer: This article is compiled and summarized by the AI based on publicly available information and is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute any form of formal tax advice, legal opinion, or basis for performance. Please consult a qualified professional tax advisor or legal counsel for tax advice. Source: Read Official Announcement

As of 17 August 2026 the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance BMF has issued an official statement in response to the budgetary recommendations rendered by the Austrian Fiscal Council Fiskalrat. The Fiscal Council an independent body tasked with monitoring compliance with European fiscal obligations under the Stability and Growth Pact has issued guidance concerning the

On 17 August 2026, the Federal Ministry of Finance published its formal “comply-or-explain” response to the Austrian Fiscal Council’s (Fiskalrat) June 2026 recommendations on budgetary targets and fiscal sustainability. The Council urged faster structural consolidation, stricter expenditure benchmarks, and quantification of climate-fiscal risks. The BMF accepted the deficit-reduction trajectory but contested the proposed 0.5 %

On 17 August 2026, the Federal Ministry of Finance published its formal “comply-or-explain” response to the Austrian Fiscal Council’s (Fiskalrat) June 2026 recommendations on budgetary targets and fiscal sustainability. The Council urged faster structural consolidation, stricter expenditure benchmarks, and quantification of climate-fiscal risks. The BMF accepted the deficit-reduction trajectory but contested the proposed 0.5 %

Finance Minister Marterbauer and State Secretary Eibinger-Miedl presented the mid-year budget execution report on 12 August 2026, confirming the federal deficit improved by €0.4 billion year-on-year to €13.3 billion at end-June 2026. Higher VAT (+4.2 %) and wage-tax (+3.8 %) receipts offset increased pension, interest, and unemployment outlays. The structural consolidation path targets a general-government

On 10 August 2026, the Finance Ministry reported that targeted Normverbrauchsabgabe (NoVA) audits in the first half of 2026 generated €1.02 million in additional tax assessments and penalties. The Financial Police and customs authorities focused on parallel imports, electric-vehicle conversions, and misclassified commercial vehicles. Key findings included 47 cases of understated CO₂ values, 12 illegal

The Ministry of Finance opened the second public consultation on 7 August 2026 for the Klima-Sozialplan, Austria’s flagship policy to recycle carbon-pricing revenues into targeted household relief and green investment. The plan operationalises the EU ETS 2 extension to buildings and road transport from 2027, earmarking €2.4 billion annually for direct climate dividends, heating-cost subsidies,

On 5 August 2026, the Federal Ministry of Finance presented the next legislative step for a comprehensive overhaul of Austria’s gambling regime, embedding stricter player-protection, advertising bans, and a revised tax framework. The draft Gambling Act (Glücksspielgesetz) proposes a unified 20 % gross-gaming-revenue (GGR) tax for online slots and casino games, replacing the current differentiated

On 5 August 2026, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance announced a substantial reduction in processing times for Arbeitnehmerveranlagung (employee tax assessment), the annual income tax return for wage earners. The average processing time has been cut from 8 weeks to under 3 weeks for electronically filed returns, thanks to enhanced automation in FinanzOnline and