Vienna, April 14, 2026
The Austrian Pensioners' Association has launched a petition campaign advocating for new taxes on wealth and artificial intelligence (AI) to address budget shortfalls, arguing that corporations have benefited from excessive relief while pensioners face financial strain.
Birgit Gerstorfer, president of the association, emphasized that funding solutions should target wealth-related taxes, including a proposed "AI tax" to mitigate job losses caused by automation. "The counterfinancing is, from our perspective, to be found in the area of wealth-related taxes," Gerstorfer stated. "This involves questions of millionaire taxes, inheritance taxes, corporate taxes, bank levies, and, quite new, an AI tax, which indeed puts many jobs at risk."
Wealth Taxes and Corporate Relief
Gerstorfer criticized recent corporate tax cuts, arguing that large companies have enjoyed significant relief while continuing to complain about high labor costs. "Dadurch seien Konzerne in den vergangenen Jahren in den Genuss einer 'riesigen Entlastung' gekommen, gleichzeitig werden sie aber nicht müde, 'Lieder von zu hohen Lohnnebenkosten zu singen'," she said.
The association also called for a broader discussion on wealth taxation to avoid pitting low-income groups against each other. "Auch werde man nicht darum umhinkommen, eine Diskussion um die Besteuerung von Vermögen zu führen, 'statt die Armen gegen die Armen auszuspielen'," Gerstorfer added. She stressed that the wealthiest should not be exempt from contributing to fiscal solutions.
Proposed AI Tax and Budget Solutions
A key proposal from the Pensioners' Association is the introduction of an AI tax, which Gerstorfer framed as both a revenue source and a measure to address job displacement. "Neue Einnahmequelle KI-Steuer Gerstorfer schwebt eine KI-Steuer als Möglichkeit für die Budgetsanierung vor," she noted, suggesting that the tax could help stabilize public finances.
The association also sees reversing corporate tax cuts as a viable approach. Gerstorfer pointed to the reduction in corporate tax rates as a missed opportunity for revenue. "Darüber hinaus sieht die Präsidentin des Pensionistenverbands in der Rücknahme der Entlastung für Unternehmen durch die Senkung der Körperschaftssteuer 'einen Ansatz für die Budgetsituation'," she said.
The petition campaign aims to pressure lawmakers to reconsider tax policies favoring corporations and high-net-worth individuals. While details of the proposed taxes remain open for debate, Gerstorfer insisted that excluding the wealthiest from the discussion is not an option. "Über die Modalitäten könne man freilich diskutieren, so Gerstorfer: 'Wir können aber nicht eine ganz kleine, sehr reiche Gruppe aus dieser Diskussion ausschließen.'"
The initiative reflects growing frustration among pensioners and advocacy groups over perceived inequities in fiscal policy, with the association positioning itself as a vocal critic of current budget negotiations.