A planned tax on tips is causing great outrage in the Austrian restaurant industry. While many prominent hoteliers and restaurant owners have already expressed their opposition to the measure, Hans-Peter Ertl, Managing Director of the exclusive private members club "Am Hof 8" in Vienna, is now joining the resistance.
Ertl emphasizes that tips should not be viewed as a bonus, but rather as an expression of immediate appreciation between guest and host. For him, it is the "applause" after a successful act of hospitality – a moment of appreciation that would be devalued by taxation.
"The taxation of tips hits us right in the heart," Ertl explained. Especially at a time when the restaurant industry is already struggling with challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers and difficult working conditions, tips are one of the last forms of direct recognition for work in the restaurant industry. Ertl warns of the long-term negative consequences: "If we take away even the last form of appreciation from the people in the industry, we will lose what defines the restaurant industry."
The private members club "Am Hof 8" sees itself as a company that impresses with excellent service and the highest standards in the hotel industry. However, according to Ertl, the planned control of tipping could harm the entire industry. He appeals to politicians to show more respect for the hard work in the kitchen, service, and bar and not to further burden the reality of these areas with bureaucratic hurdles.
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