Thursday, 24. May 2012
:: Home > General News > 'Travel agent' ministers splash out millions on foreign travel
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Today
Polls
_Foreign_Minister_Michael_Spindelegger_who_splashed_out_577,763_Euros_for_51_trips. "The biggest spender was People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger who splashed out 577,763 Euros for 51 trips.")
RSS Feed General News17. 03. 10. - 13:00
'Travel agent' ministers splash out millions on foreign travel
Globe-trotting government ministers spent a whopping 2.16 million Euros on 310 trips abroad last year, the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) said yesterday (Tues).
The Parliamentary Questions and Answers document released by BZÖ also showed ministries spent 7.37 million Euros for travelling staff members.
The biggest spender was People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger who splashed out 577,763 Euros for 51 trips.
He was followed by ÖVP Finance Minister Josef Pröll, who spent 394,500 Euros on 41 trips and by Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann, who spent 257,000 Euros on 29 trips.
The minister who spent the least, 19,000 Euros on seven trips, was SPÖ Social Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer.
The ministry that spent the most on trips, 1.09 million Euros, was the Defense Ministry headed by the SPÖ’s Norbert Darabos, followed by the foreign ministry, with 1.04 million, and the finance ministry, with 1.01 million.
BZÖ audit spokesman Gerald Grosz, who had asked for the information, said: "The government is its own travel agency."
At the same time that Faymann and Pröll were calling for higher taxes, he said, they were helping themselves to taxpayers’ money.
Grosz acknowledged that international contacts were important but claimed savings were possible in the era of modern communication.
Austrian Times
Related articles: political scandals
-
Coalition accelerates anti-corruption ambitions
» General News 2012-05-24
The government is intensifying its attempts to pass a transparency package in parliament.
-
Army pays 2,000 staff for being idle
» General News 2012-05-23
The pressure on Social Democratic (SPÖ) Defence and Sport Minister Norbert Darabos is increasing as a new Audit Office (RH) examination indicates a waste of taxpayers’ money by the army.
-
Foul-mouthed MPs might face fines
» General News 2012-05-23
Fritz Neugebauer has started another attempt to introduce a system of fees for abusive parliament delegates (MPs).
Tag cloud:
taxes Defense audit government savings Norbert ministers Ministry Grosz Euros spokesman Social Hundstorfer headed splash communication spent Darabos Faymann international
Coalition accelerates anti-corruption ambitions
The government is intensifying its attempts to pass a transparency package in parliament.
Küng tackles Schüller group
Another top-tier representative of the Austrian Church has warned the Preachers’ Initiative from consequences.
BMW and Porsche seized by bold burglars
Crooks broke into a house and stole the keys to two valuable cars early Thursday morning while the residents were sleeping.
Pecik defends TA engagement
Telekom Austria (TA) investor Ronny Pecik has declared himself a team player.
Lightning strikes two workers
Two construction workers at the new Westbahnhof train station were hospitalised after being struck by lightning.
Mayor land fraud allegations
Prosecutors are investigating the mayor of Innervillgraten in Eastern Tyrol over allegations of irregularities in a sale of land that he authorised to another local council member.
Infra red heating takes off
A new heating system from a Burgenland company that operates with energy-saving, efficient, infra-red light is heating the market up.
Games night hits Vienna
Six Vienna game clubs open their doors tonight for a night full of games including Chess, Go or Tarock. The evening is meant both as a night of playing these games for enthusiasts, as well as learning them for novices.
Silly parkers road rage rampage
A serial bad parker in Graz added resisting arrest and going on the run to his crimes when police went to arrest him for notching up almost 100 parking tickets in the southern city of Graz.
Knoflacher emphasises pedestrian zones' economic effects
A renowned traffic planner has stressed that shop owners are generally appreciating the introduction of pedestrian zones.
The most popular stories –
last 7 days
|
Dune And Busted |
|
Swastika Shaped Austrian School Rebuilt |
|
Nazi still honoured in Austria |
|
20th Vienna Life Ball a fiery success! |
|
Thieves caught trying to nick F**king Sign |
