Parteienfinanzierung#

Party Financing; today expenses for the organisation and activities of political parties can no longer be covered by membership dues and donations. Political parties are indispensable for developing political objectives and therefore it is crucial that they should not be dependent on financial backers. For this reason, many states support them with public funds (raised by taxation). In Austria Parliamentary Groups have been financed since 1963, the political academies run by the parties represented in the National Council also receive financial support (since 1973). The parties represented in the National Council have been financed according to the number of votes they receive in elections since 1975. These subsidies are financed from the national budget (in 1993 the subsidies amounted to approx. ATS 460 million); in 1992 the provincial organisations of the parties received approx. ATS 880 million. Since 1990 election campaign expenses have also been reimbursed (National Council election of 1990: approx. ATS 112 million).