Vienna culture levy draws opposition from parties and industry

Vienna’s planned “Kultureuro” levy is facing continued criticism from opposition politicians and representatives of the cultural sector, ORF reported. The Vienna People’s Party began collecting signatures on Tuesday for an open letter opposing the plan.

The party said the city’s existing cultural budget should first be reviewed for efficiency instead of introducing the levy. Vienna People’s Party leader Markus Figl accused the Social Democrats and Neos of trying to fill the city’s financial gaps with a new charge on residents.

The open letter calls on Mayor Michael Ludwig of the Social Democratic Party to abandon the plans. The Vienna People’s Party also plans to raise the issue during the current affairs session of the next Vienna state parliament meeting.

The Interest Group of the Austrian Events Industry warned on Monday that the levy would be a “reckless penalty tax”. It estimated that private organisers and the independent cultural scene would bear about 67 million euros of the expected 120 million euros in revenue. Federal institutions, including federal museums and theatres, would account for an estimated 40 million euros.

About 30 million visitors to cultural events would be affected. The group expects attendance to fall because of rising prices and warned that events could move to other Austrian provinces or not take place in Austria at all. It said this would also affect the cultural scene that the additional revenue is intended to support.

Actor and cabaret performer Robert Palfrader and concert organiser Ewald Tatar of Baracuda Music told the Kurier they expected cultural events to move to Lower Austria or Burgenland. Matthias Rotermund of Live Nation said neither visitors, organisers nor artists could simply absorb a new ticket tax.

According to the Kurier, Culture Minister Andreas Babler was due to question representatives of the city about the plans on Tuesday because the levy would also affect numerous federal institutions. Babler’s meeting with Vienna Culture Councillor Veronica Kaup-Hasler was confirmed by her office.

The details of the Kultureuro have not yet been finalised. It could involve an additional charge of about 12.5 per cent on ticket prices or a flat surcharge of one euro. Kaup-Hasler’s office said the scheme was still being developed and that all revenue would go directly to culture.

The stated aim is to secure Vienna’s diverse cultural landscape over the long term. The city said public cultural funding supports art and culture that cannot fully finance themselves, including niche projects, avant-garde work and emerging artists. It pointed to what it described as an established model for supporting sports and sports associations.