Wien. The tax consultants see themselves as corona crisis managers: Only 3 percent of domestic companies believe they can do without their services.
A current survey by the opinion institute Spectra, which was carried out on behalf of the Chamber of Tax Consultants and Auditors (KSW) was carried out: As part of the survey, 500 companies with at least five employees were interviewed representative of the Austrian corporate landscape. The survey took place in September and October 2021.
Which freelancers are used particularly frequently
According to the information, the most frequently used external service providers in domestic companies are still tax advisors with a share of 97 percent, followed by a considerable margin by insurance agents (58%), IT advisors (51%) and legal advisors (43%) ). Auditors are also visited much less frequently, but are typically mainly used by large companies.
According to the Spectra survey with tax consultants, Austrian companies are the most satisfied:
- This satisfaction – starting from an already high level – was even increased by 4% compared to the previous year, it is said. 88% of the companies surveyed are very satisfied / satisfied with their tax advisor.
- The satisfaction of the companies that work with auditors has also increased compared to the previous year, but at 78% it is still well below the value for tax consultants.
“The image of tax advisors and auditors is still characterized by good professional training, extensive tax know-how and a high degree of trustworthiness. The companies appreciate the support from our profession to a high degree. Even more so in times of crisis ”, says Herbert Houf, President of the Chamber of Tax Advisors and Auditors.
As far as the duration of cooperation is concerned, this year there has been an increase in all professional groups. Companies work with their tax advisors for an average of 15 years. The second professional group with a significant change are the auditors, with whom the companies have worked for an average of 13 years.
The corona needs
There are many reasons for contacting tax advisors or auditors in the Covid 19 pandemic, but still with a clear focus on short-time working. Almost two thirds of Austrian companies (63%) contacted tax consultants or auditors with questions on the subject of “short-time work”, followed by the subjects of “fixed cost allowance / loss compensation” hardship funds, bridging guarantees and liquidity / deferrals.
Positive look into the future
The survey also asked about the companies’ optimism: According to this, Austrian companies are much more optimistic about the economic development of their companies this year. While in 2020 there were 16% of companies who thought things were going up, 39% of those surveyed currently share this view.
On the other hand, the proportion of pessimists (“it will go downhill”) has fallen significantly from 21% to 5%. The most optimistic are retailers, restaurants and service providers. The current data are thus back to the level of 2017 and 2018, it is said.
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