New goals for Austria's cultural promotion
Compared to Germany and Switzerland, there is little private cultural funding in Austria. The federal government wants to change this by revising the law. The Austrian Cultural Council is skeptical.
According to information from the Austrian Federal Administration, the number of quasi-international organizations in Austria is currently in the low single-digit range.
Attempts to establish such organizations in Austria are under strong competitive pressure, not least from Switzerland. The country therefore wants to increase Austria's competitiveness as a location for quasi-international organizations by introducing tax privileges.
The number of Austrian private foundations has also been falling since 2012. This is to be countered with preferential tax treatment for foundations and the tax deductibility of donations.
The Austrian Cultural Council takes note of the drafts with skepticism. It fears a trend towards the privatization of cultural funding with developments towards a donation culture that favours cultural offerings that appeal to "a large audience with a lot of advertising". Funding for less popular cultural institutions, on the other hand, would be made more difficult.
Statement of the Austrian Cultural Council:
kulturrat.at/agenda/brennpunkte/20151112
