The Finance Committee recommends a CHF 4 billion boost to the Swiss Armed Forces budget, raising it to CHF 29.8 billion for 2025-2028, aiming for 1% of GDP by 2030.

Like the Council of States, the Finance Committee of the National Council is also proposing to increase the budget for the armed forces by CHF 4 billion to CHF 29.8 billion between 2025 and 2028. It wants to leave the counter-financing largely to the Federal Council.

The Finance Committee of the National Council (FK-N) decided to increase the payment framework by 15 votes to 9 with one abstention, as committee chair Sarah Wyss (SP/BS) announced to the media in Bern on Thursday evening. In doing so, the committee wants to ensure that the army budget reaches the target value of one percent of gross domestic product by 2030.

Funding Measures

The proposed budget increase will be financed through four measures:

1. Reducing the cantonal share of direct federal tax.
2. Cutting international cooperation funds.
3. Implementing a cross-cutting reduction in federal personnel.
4. Redistributing funds within the Defense Department.

An increase in VAT was not considered by the FK-N, noted Wyss.

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