(Reuters) – Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which opinion polls make favourite to win the country’s general election on Sept. 29, presented its campaign manifesto on Wednesday, setting out measures to boost the economy and curb immigration.
Presenting the programme with party colleagues, FPO leader Herbert Kickl said it could be summarized as a plan for individuality, sovereignty, homogeneity and solidarity.
Following are some of the key points:
ECONOMY
– No new taxes.
– Tax breaks for young workers at the outset of careers.
– Support for young adults through subsidized rental housing and for buying their own homes.
– Lower taxes on savings or access to fair and affordable loans to help promote creation of wealth and property.
– Support for employers offering jobs paying better wages than deals agreed collectively and which offer protection against dismissal.
– Tax relief for people who work longer, do overtime.
– Introduction of 5,000 euro bonus payment to qualified apprentices as compensation for their efforts and to encourage them to become masters of their trade.
– Tax deductible bonuses for workers from the age of 60, and more tax breaks for people working past statutory retirement age.
IMMIGRATION
– Promotion of remigration – what proponents describe as returning people to where their families originally came from – especially for people of migrant origin who break the law.
– Reduction of the number of people granted asylum and limiting the period of asylum.
SOCIAL POLICY
– A welfare system where payment of benefits is linked to citizenship.
– A constitutional determination that states there are only two sexes.
– Establishing a right to financial assistance for victims of natural disasters.
– Improving working conditions for medical and nursing staff with better pay and training so Austria can cover its own staffing needs without resorting to immigration.
– Increase police numbers and their pay.
– Pass a law to ban “political Islam”.
DEMOCRACY
– Increase direct democracy, including granting citizens the right to push through laws via referenda.
– Giving voters the right to vote out cabinet ministers or the government via referenda.
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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