Ametsreiter wants higher education expenditure
Telekom Austria (TA) boss Hannes Ametsreiter has called for more investments in the education sector.The businessman said today (Thurs) Austria must “urgently” think about how to improve the education system.”We must spend more on education if Austrian firms want to be able to compete internationally. Austria has always had a high creative potential. We must try to develop it,” Ametsreiter who succeeded Boris Nemsic as head of the market-leading telecommunications provider last year told the Kurier newspaper.The TA chiefs appeal comes just days after the federal government presented plans to reduce family subsidies from next year in a bid to slash the budget deficit which soared to 3.9 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) last year (2008: 0.4 per cent).The Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Peoples Party (ÖVP) have so far failed to reveal specific figures on their plans for the 2011 budget. Students representatives and opposition politicians have, however, already warned that young people would be forced to cope with hundreds of Euros less every year if the coalition presses on with the announced cuts.Ametsreiter also said he wanted TA to grow further and continue to focus on innovative projects.”Innovation is featured in the DNA of this company. We always want to be the best. ( ) If we come second, we have lost,” the former Procter & Gable manager said.The TA head said earlier this month the company was aiming to achieve a turnover of 4.7 billion Euros and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) between 1.6 and 1.65 billion Euros this year. TAs turnover in the first half of 2010 was 2.295 billion Euros of which 911 million Euros were generated by its landline operations department.