Innsbruck (OTS) – The black-red state government wants to fight poverty in Tyrol. Like so many previous coalitions, it has not yet progressed beyond the status of an increasing subsidy policy. None of the individual measures are sustainable.
Life is largely a series of repetitions. Like Christmas. This comes every year. But not to everyone. Celebrating celebrations is no longer affordable for everyone. Instead of thinking about gifts and ski holidays, around 108,000 people, or one in seven (!) in Tyrol, are struggling to even make ends meet financially. According to the current poverty report, they are considered to be at risk of poverty. Politicians have repeatedly tried to promise a remedy – but it is hardly enough to do more than just combat the symptoms. Structurally, however, much remains the same.
State Governor Anton Mattle (VP) wants to break new ground. And in the medium term we should ensure that the poverty trap closes less often. Mattle announced this almost exactly a year ago. The Tyrol Poverty Report 2019-2021 was hot off the press. Twelve months and one report later, we know that poverty has continued to rise. Although less than feared given the inflation and energy crisis, the trend cannot be glossed over.
The VP/SP’s new approach to combating poverty is still in the dark for many Tyroleans. The government – like its predecessor coalitions – is still moving from one aid package to the next individual funding and then to the subsequent evaluation. Then the “game” starts again from the beginning.
Of course, it helps people when the state launches campaigns such as the “social school ticket” in the fall. Of course, the heating subsidy warms apartments. The almost 40 million that were released to combat the inflation crisis are also having an effect. And yes, the Tyrolean minimum income is still considered exemplary when compared to other federal states. By 2024, the country wants or will have to spend over a billion on “social welfare”.
Poverty in Tyrol is still growing. While the government leaders were patting each other on the back about de facto full employment just a few months ago, the almost 26,000 “working poor” in Tyrol probably thought they were in the wrong film. For around 17,000, even a full-time job is no longer enough to say goodbye to poverty. For comparison: That is more than the population of the market town of Telfs.
When it comes to climate protection, sustainability is the order of the day. An exit from poverty would also be sustainable from a macroeconomic perspective. One approach would be an unconditional basic income. Here and there, people are primarily one thing: rich in lip service.
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