But only until the end of the year. From then on, entrepreneurs must apply for the extended fixed cost subsidy
It has been fixed since today: the catering and hotel industry will be closed until January 6th. Those companies that are not allowed to open by order of the state continue to receive a sales compensation. However, no longer to the extent of 80 percent, but only to the amount of 50 percent of the sales that they had generated in the same period of the previous year. As was the case last, the application is made via FinanzOnline. The new December sales replacement can be requested from December 16. For the period from December 7th to December 31st. Finance Minister Gernot Blümel puts the cost of the measure at around one billion euros.
“Every company that we get through the crisis well secures valuable jobs in Austria. We are therefore extending the revenue replacement once until the end of the year. At a level of 50 percent, ”said the finance minister. From 2021, the fixed cost subsidy will take the place of the revenue replacement.
Tourism as an economic factor
For us in Austria, winter tourism is a significant economic factor that contributes around 15 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) and directly and indirectly employs around 750,000 people, emphasizes Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger. Around a third of the applications for short-time work are in the hospitality and hotel sectors, in concrete terms there were more than 20,000 applications. The companies still have the option of short-time working in January. The take-away option is also retained for the catering industry. Guest houses are allowed to offer pick-up food between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the evening. Deliveries can be made around the clock.
“We have to assume that the winter season will be very difficult,” says Köstinger, referring to the current travel warnings.
“We are now certain that the Christmas and New Year's Eve business will also be canceled. At least we can now plan again instead of just waiting, “comment Susanne Kraus-Winkler and Mario Pulker, the chairmen of the hotel and catering trade associations in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), on the first opening steps announced by the federal government after the hard lockdown.
