The Court of Auditors will examine the fund announced by the new Lower Austrian state government for the repayment of unconstitutional corona penalties. This is what RH President Margit Kraker announces in interviews for the Sunday editions of the “Kronen-Zeitung” and the “Kleine Zeitung”: “The Court of Auditors will look at this fund.”
With the fund announced by the ÖVP and FPÖ in Lower Austria and endowed with 30 million euros, unconstitutional Covid penalties are to be repaid. Among other things, however, advisory services in the case of individual damage, medical care for people with vaccination impairments, costs for the treatment of psychological problems and additional expenses for home schooling are also to be financed from this pot.
“I don’t think the signal is good. The corona aid is running out. There must be a reason why a new fund is being invented now. The Court of Auditors will look at this fund,” announces Kraker. “I find it strange that a state should take on penalties that it has imposed itself. It doesn’t seem entirely fair.”
Kraker also announces that the Court of Auditors will publish a corona balance sheet in the coming week. It is supposed to be an “added value paper” that summarizes recommendations for action based on 25 RH audits. In Kraker’s opinion, there was sometimes too much watering can with the corona aid. “We found potential for excessive demands, because sometimes several facts coincided. There were cases where no damage had occurred and funding was still provided.”
The Court of Auditors also wants to become active in the area of climate protection. “I have been very keen that we also deal with environmental and climate protection. The RH not only checks compliance, but also expediency. We look at whether the government is meeting its own goals. If we are far from the target then the Court of Appeal warns of the consequences,” explains the President.