Fribourg Parliament adopts 2023 annual accounts with concern
Published: Wednesday, May 22nd 2024, 15:40
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The members of parliament in Fribourg unanimously approved the 2023 state accounts on Wednesday. It shows a profit of 242,518 francs. Finance Director Jean-Pierre Siggen nevertheless spoke of a turning point.
Siggen had already warned on Tuesday that the developments would conceal the emergence of a "structural deficit". For example, personnel costs would no longer be covered by cantonal taxes. This deterioration had occurred in a favorable economic environment, Siggen continued.
For the first time in almost ten years, current income was unable to cover expenditure. Before the end of the financial year, there was a deficit of CHF 26.8 million.
In detail, the 2023 profit was achieved through higher tax income, withdrawals from funds and provisions as well as higher transfer income than expected, as Siggen summarized. Expenses rose by 4.2 percent or 170.7 million to 4.22 billion compared to the budget.
The majority conservative camp urged caution and, like the FDP and the center, spoke of a "worrying" and "disturbing" situation.
The FDP-GLP, Centre Party and SVP called for costs to be kept under control and priorities to be set. In addition to the volatility of profit income from the Swiss National Bank (SNB), income from the federal financial equalization scheme, from which Fribourg benefits greatly, would also fall. The left rejected the prospect of an austerity plan as well as the idea of a structural deficit.
©Keystone/SDA
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