St. Gallen voters decide on the amount of the commuter deduction
Published: Sunday, Nov 3rd 2024, 10:40
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In the canton of St. Gallen, car commuters should be able to deduct up to CHF 8,000 from their tax return in future. A left-green alliance has launched a referendum against this. Two other referendums on Sunday will deal with funding gaps in care and the implementation of the care initiative.
Previously, the commuter deduction in the canton of St. Gallen was based on the cost of a second-class GA travelcard. CHF 600 for the cost of Park and Ride was added to this. This currently amounts to CHF 4595. This means that the same maximum tax deduction applies to all commuters, regardless of whether they travel by public transport or by car.
In the cantonal council, the FDP, center-EPP and SVP parliamentary groups pushed through an increase in the amount for car commuters to CHF 8,000 against the will of the government. They argued, among other things, that the rural population, which is dependent on cars, was at a disadvantage. In doing so, they overturned an austerity measure that had been confirmed in a vote in 2015.
An alliance with the SP, Greens, GLP and various environmental associations successfully launched a referendum. They declared that equal treatment of all commuters was right and rejected the increase in the deduction on climate policy grounds. The voters will now decide on the amount of the commuter deduction.
Implementation of the care initiative
The other two bills were largely undisputed in the Cantonal Council: an amendment to the Social Assistance Act is intended to close gaps in the financing of specialized long-term care in retirement and nursing homes. The canton anticipates additional expenditure of CHF 3.3 million per year.
The third bill concerns the cantonal implementation of the federal care initiative, which was adopted in November 2021. Specifically, CHF 128 million is to be spent on a training offensive in the canton of St. Gallen over the next eight years. Among other things, training contributions are planned for people who complete a nursing training course.
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