|
Heinrich Staudinger, always called Heini by everyone, was the eldest of 5 children born into a family of grocers in Upper Austria. As a 2-year-old he had learned to greet, as a 3-year-old he knew how to serve and as a 6-year-old he could do mental arithmetic.
Today, he and his company, the Waldviertler Werkstätten
Heinrich Staudinger, entrepreneur in the shoe and furniture industry
Born on April 5, 1953 in Schwanenstadt, Upper Austria
Untitled studies in theology, political science, journalism, medicine
Waldviertler Werkstätten GmbH, GEA (Schrems headquarters)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlTTFf3oUCE
Protectionism. Not so long ago, I gave a talk about my life as a shoe manufacturer in Austria. I told them that I became co-owner of the Waldviertler shoe workshop by chance (as an emergency solution) in 1991 and that a good twenty years ago I became managing director of this company rather involuntarily, because there wasn't enough money for a professional, i.e. a real shoe expert.
It took a while for it to dawn on me what a shitty, broken industry I had landed in. By the time it dawned on me, it was already too late. I was up to my ears in work and learning and gradually I realized why (almost) all shoe manufacturers were closing down or moving their production to cheaper countries. Because shoe production remained labor-intensive despite technical advances. Labor was/is expensive here, partly because of the INCREDIBLY high tax burden on labor, while imports from wherever were/are allowed to come in largely tax-free.
And while I was ranting loudly about this destructive nonsense, nothing-higher-taxed-than-work, someone from the audience shouted: "Yes, Heini, do you want protectionism? At first I thought I couldn't hear properly: Excuse me? What are you saying? What do you mean? Protectionism? That's what we have. Protectionism everywhere. But they don't protect us, they protect the big players! He wanted to know how protectionism works in favor of the big players. That's when I got going: for example, through high taxes and levies on labor and (almost) NO taxes on imports. Petty and meticulous tax audits for small businesses, (almost) NO taxes for corporations thanks to tax loopholes in Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands. And he: But these laws are coordinated with international trade agreements! Yes, of course. These agreements contain this completely outrageous protectionism for the big players, the consequences of which are destroying the small players with their know-how and tens of thousands of jobs!
Well, in many areas we are facing a necessary change. We feel that this economy of the big players, the banks and corporations, is destroying everything. But if, despite the mainstream, we still long for your life-affirming economy, then we must not hope for those at the top, we must set out on our own path and think and act for ourselves.
That means seriously
Heini Staudinger |
