The recent financial crisis has caused a serious economic recession in Austria. In an internationally-coordinated effort to counter the economic slump, the Austrian government enacted extensive fiscal packages as well as measures aimed at stabilisation of the banking sector. The fiscal packages...

Led by a dynamic export growth real GDP in Austria grew by 2 percent in 2010. Between 2011 until 2015 the Austrian economy is expected to grow by 2.2 percent. The annual growth rate of trend output will average at 1.7 percent in the forecast period, ¼ percentage point below the average of the...

In February 2000, the Austrian Federal Government set itself the target of achieving a balanced budget by 2002. A domestic stability pact was agreed that specified the budget performance to be achieved by the central, regional and local authorities. To this end, a comprehensive consolidation...

By simulating some economic-policy measures in the WIFO White Paper "Towards Higher Employment via Economic Growth Based on Innovation and Qualification", we can gauge their effectiveness and make a comparative assessment. Impacts can diverge greatly between the short and long term, which is why...

One important element of the Austrian tax reform 2004-05 is the reduction of the corporate tax rate from 34 percent to 25 percent as of 2005. In cutting the corporate tax rate the government has reacted to the tax cuts implemented in a number of the accession countries in the run-up to the...

With a projected annual rate of 2.3 percent the Austrian economy will grow less than expected so far. Real GDP growth will lag slightly behind the mark of 2.4 percent observed between 2002 and 2007. The present downturn of the US business cycle will continue to weigh on activity in the euro area...

The Austrian economy is about to enter a phase of cyclical upturn that should last until 2004, when growth may rise above 3 percent. For 2005 and 2006, a marked slowdown should be expected. The business cycle is determined primarily by international developments exerting a direct impact on...

During the forecast period 2012-2016 growth will be weaker than in the recent past. On average real GDP is expected to increase by 1.6 percent per year. Thus, the Austrian economy will expand at a slower pace than on average during the years preceding the financial and economic crisis. The...

Recent institutional changes in the European Union have strengthened the original Stability and Growth Pact by negotiating the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union ("fiscal compact"). The cyclically-adjusted budget balance is the main quantitative...

The concept of the user costs of capital, or its shadow price, plays a prominent role in the neoclassical theory of investment and constitutes a convenient vehicle for evaluating effects of corporate taxation on private business investment. This paper presents a derivation of the user cost of...