The middle classes invest more in AHV referendum campaigns than the left
Published: Friday, Jan 19th 2024, 11:50
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The opponents of the initiative for a 13th AHV pension have more than twice as much money at their disposal as the supporters - a good three and a half million francs. This is the result of an analysis by the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO).
At national level, new transparency rules apply to political funding for the first time in a referendum campaign. The committees must disclose campaigns over CHF 50,000. Thanks to this innovation, citizens can find out about income and named donations over CHF 15,000 in the run-up to the ballot. The SFAO now has the budgeted income for the voting campaigns on March 3, 2024, as announced on Friday.
According to their self-declaration, the supporters of the popular initiative "For a better life in old age (initiative for a 13th AHV pension)" have an estimated CHF 1.5 million at their disposal. Most of this comes from the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB). Unia and the SP are also investing money in the Yes campaign. According to the initiators, there were also many small donations from the general public.
In contrast, opponents of the bill have CHF 3.6 million at their disposal. The money comes from the "No to the 13th AHV pension" alliance, employers and the business community. A large donation comes from the financial industry.
For the popular initiative "For a secure and sustainable pension scheme (pension initiative)" to raise the retirement age, the pro side budgeted around CHF 900,000 with the "Pension Initiative Yes" committee, while the contra side budgeted around CHF 100,000 from the SGB and Unia, according to the SFAO.
This means that the conservative camp has more money available for both initiatives than the SP and the trade unions. According to its own information, the SFAO has formally audited the reported budget assumptions - material audits will be carried out on a sample basis based on the final accounts.
https://politikfinanzierung.efk.admin.ch/app/de/campaign-financings
©Keystone/SDA
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