Jura must adjust the debt brake due to the change of canton to Moutier
Published: Friday, Jun 7th 2024, 16:00
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The change of canton for the town of Moutier means that the Jura is losing CHF 65 million in revenue. The reason for this is the delayed adjustment of the federal financial equalization mechanism. The Jura government is therefore proposing a temporary adjustment to the debt brake, as it announced on Friday.
The transfer of Moutier from the canton of Bern to the Jura on January 1, 2026 will have financial consequences until 2031. In addition to a lack of income, there will also be investments required for the construction of Jura administrative buildings in the city, as the government wrote.
The financial equalization system is based on a calculation that takes into account the six years prior to the year of payment. This means that the effects of the influx of Moutiers will only take full effect from 2031.
For the government, this temporary situation is difficult to reconcile with the debt brake mechanism. These exceptional circumstances are compounded by the canton's already difficult financial situation. All of this could block the budget process and cause difficulties in the functioning of the canton, as the government went on to say.
Population will vote on the adjustment
It will therefore submit the temporary adjustment to the debt brake for consultation. For the years 2026 to 2031, the government is proposing to exclude the shortfall in revenue from financial equalization and investments for the relocation of administrative units to Moutier when calculating the debt brake.
Parliament will have to deal with this dossier once the consultation process has been completed. As the debt brake is a constitutional article, the people will have the final say.
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