Increasing productivity, the Austrian way:
A lazy civil servant has been given a suspended prison sentence in Austria because he never did any work.
Walter Hendelsgruber, 43, took his employers to a tribunal for unfair dismissal but had the tables turned on him.
The tribunal ruled his laziness was so extreme it bordered on the criminal - and ordered the case sent to the public prosecutor.
Hendelsgruber was given a 15 month jail sentence suspended for fraud and abuse of office because he took money for work over a three year period that he never did.
(via Ananova)
The far bigger news in Austria is the finance minister who took 280.000 Euros from the Industrialists association for a website sporting his baby photos and other meaningful stuff (website produced by his schoolmate) under the disguise of an Association for the Promotion of the New Economy, headed by his spokesman. After it was ruled that this was a (TAXABLE) gift, his very own ministry "helped" the tax office to find out that he is not tax-liable for this and reversed the decision (the head of his districts tax office was replaced a short time time bfore the improved decision was made public.)
He also took money for speeches and did not declare it, as he gave it to charity institutions of his choice (documents about the alleged money flows were never made public). An Austrian actor who donates all his extra income to charity institutions since decades meanwhile has to pay taxes on such income although it is exactly the same situation. Some of us are truly more equal in the kind of New Economy he promotes. Tu felix Austria.
Posted by: Toni | June 29, 2005 at 04:26 PM