National Council wants to promote regional passenger transport more strongly
Published: Monday, Dec 11th 2023, 16:50
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Halfway through the first budget round in the National Council, the debt brake requirements have not been met. The upper chamber has approved additional expenditure on regional passenger transport and the protection of minorities. The structural balance is negative.
Last Thursday, for example, the National Council increased spending on agriculture compared to the Federal Council's draft budget. If it wants to comply with the debt brake, the large chamber must decide on Monday in which areas savings should be made in return.
This has not been the case so far - on the contrary. The decisions taken to date have missed the debt brake target by around CHF 50 million.
Additional expenditure on regional passenger transport
Like the Council of States, the upper chamber wants to increase the federal funding for regional passenger transport by CHF 55 million compared to today - and not cut it by CHF 5 million, as proposed by the Federal Council. The decision was made by 98 votes to 95 with 2 abstentions.
The majority were concerned that the cantons would have to bear more of the costs of tariff increases if the funds were not increased. There was also a threat of a reduction in services in rural, structurally weak regions.
Opponents argued that an increase in funding for regional passenger transport was not appropriate. The transport companies would have to produce the ordered service with the existing funds.
Increased protection of synagogues
The Councils have also agreed on additional expenditure for the protection of minorities. Like the Council of States, the National Council also wants to make CHF 2.5 million more available for the protection of religious minorities in the coming year than originally planned in the Federal Council's budget.
At the same time, Parliament allocated the corresponding funds in the financial plan for the years 2025 to 2027. The money is to benefit Jewish and Muslim communities.
The applicants justified the increase in particular with the situation in the Middle East. The aim was to protect the fundamental right to freedom of belief and conscience. Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter agreed with the request. She said it was shameful for Jews in Switzerland to have to fear for their safety.
No faster army build-up
Unlike the Council of States, the National Council does not want to increase the army's budget any faster than the Federal Council. Switzerland should not spend one percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on national defense until 2035 and not as early as 2030. The decision concerns the financial plan for the years 2025 to 2027 and was passed in the large chamber by 105 votes to 88 with one abstention.
The left wing of the Council wanted to cut the credit for armaments expenditure and armaments investments for the army, but had no chance.
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