Expensive tobacco, higher taxes, end to e-car subsidies: This is how the ÖVP wanted to save money

An austerity and consolidation package worth billions, as Austria is likely to face, will not work without major cuts. Someone will have to pay the price, the big question is: who? The interim party leader of the ÖVP, Christian Stocker, said a remarkable sentence about this immediately after negotiations with the SPÖ broke down. Despite many agreements that have already been reached, “we have not found common ground on crucial issues, especially the question of the burden on the population,” said Stocker on ORF. “We stand for relief and not burden. That was ultimately the point where it didn’t work.”