The location
Geographical location
In the heart of Europe, a strategic location between the greater Munich and Verona areas, transport junction for the south-east European states. Salzburg is the fifth-largest province in Austria (total area of around 7,000 km², 517,000 inhabitants). Due to the central location, the motorways and the rail network, as well as air-travel facilities, have been excellently expanded.
EuRegio Salzburg
There is an amalgamation of around 100 communities in the regions of Salzburg, Berchtesgaden and Traunstein for the use of knowledge transfer and mutual infrastructure projects. Salzburg functions not only as the provincial capital, but also as a regional centre and impulse-giver for the entire cross-border region.
Quality of life and recreation
A city of culture – the city of Mozart:
Salzburg Festivals, Landestheater, Mozarteum. There are more than 4,000 theatre, opera and concert performances per year, and more than a million visitors.
The Province of Salzburg:
More than 50 museums of local history and open-air museums, 550 attractions and excursion destinations, 7,200 km of marked hiking trails and mountain tours on the 3,000-metre-peaks in the Hohe Tauern National Park, 163 natural lakes.
Education
The level of education is very high due to the broad but branch-specific education at universities, institutes of higher education and management institutes.
Salzburg University:
University for the arts, natural science, theology and jurisprudence. Focuses on "science and art" and "bioscience and health" was agreed upon on 2 July 2002.
In addition:
Institute for Computer Science.
Institute of higher education:
The Salzburg institute of higher education currently offers seven courses in five subjects:
Telecommunication technology and systems (TTS), in professional tandem, multimedia art, information economy and management (ICM), in tandem, digital television and interactive services, development and management of tourism offers, in professional tandem.
Postgraduate institutes of education:
University of Salzburg Business School.
Economic location
International evaluation:
Outstanding international evaluation as an economic location. Following the last empirical study in 1998: 16th place among 243 European regions.
Technical infrastructures – Telecommunication:
Market penetration in Internet access and mobile telephones in Austria is especially high – the leading country in Europe after the Scandinavian countries (for mobile phones).
Availability of Austria:
Almost 100 % coverage for language telephony access and data networks (analogue and ISDN), 70 % area coverage (as of 12/1) with ADSL.
Salzburg’s significance:
Salzburg has a special position in the telecommunication market: it links western and eastern Austria and neighbouring Germany. Many network operators are located in the Techno-Z technology parks. Salzburg therefore has the densest data highway network available in Austria.
Structure of local enterprises:
More than 90 % small and medium-size enterprises (crisis resistant).
Capital procurement:
EKS – Eigenkapitalservice Salzburg (Salzburg Equity Capital Service)
SUBG – Salzburger Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft (Salzburg Associated Company)
SKKG – Salzburger Kreditgarantiegesellschaft (Salzburg Credit Guarantee Association)
"Salzburg PLC, a province of the future":
Currently in planning, local economy will make equity capital of around 72 million euro available. This will safeguard workplaces for qualified personnel and create new workplaces in Salzburg.
Promotions:
Economic and technological promotion:
New founding, takeovers and development projects of local enterprises with scientific facilities will be fostered through contributions and promotions.
EU-regional promotions (Target 2 guidelines):
24 communities are Target 2 areas, 24 communities are at the phasing-out stage (until 2005). Enterprise-establishment projects receive favourable ERP credits and EU contributions to 15 % of the investment volume.
Further promotion offers for tourism and the winning of alternative energy.
Austria (ABA) as a location advantage
Taxes:
With a uniform tax rate of 34 per cent for a corporate enterprise, a capital-yield tax of 25 per cent and a real average top tax rate of 43 per cent on fixed earnings, Austria is positioned very favourably internationally in the tax system. Private endowments recently did especially well in taxation. No property tax and commercial earnings tax.
(Extract from the location information of the Salzburg Agency for the Marketing and Enterprise Settlement Association of the City and Province of Salzburg.)
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