Budget debate in the Council of States dominated by the need to save money
Published: Tuesday, Dec 5th 2023, 10:00
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The Council of States began discussing the budget for the coming year on Tuesday. Parliament only has limited scope for changes to the Federal Council's draft if the debt brake is to be adhered to.
The budget shows a surplus of CHF 18.3 million following a supplementary report by the Federal Council in September, as Johanna Gapany (FDP/FR) explained on behalf of the Finance Committee of the Council of States (FK-N). The majority of the pre-advisory committee would like to spend more on agriculture than the national government. Concrete decisions were still pending.
The debate also covered the financial outlook up to 2027. The Federal Council expects structural deficits of two to three billion Swiss francs per year between 2025 and 2027 without cuts. "We are at a crossroads in terms of fiscal policy," said Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter during the general debate. The debt of certain countries is gigantic. This could not be a future model for Switzerland.
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