National Council reaps criticism from those affected for saving money for the army
Published: Thursday, Sep 19th 2024, 16:30
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Parliament wants to spend CHF 4 billion more on the army in the coming years, but wants to save the money at the expense of the cantons and Swiss aid abroad. The cantons and associations are quick to criticize.
The Conference of Cantonal Finance Directors (FDK) considers a reduction in the cantonal share of direct federal tax in favor of the army budget to be highly problematic. This would be tantamount to shifting the burden from the Confederation to the cantons, it wrote.
The money that the cantons receive from direct federal tax is an earmarked source of income. A departure from the existing cantonal share would result in an imbalance at the expense of the cantons, the FDK said in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Outrage among aid organizations
Aid organizations also reacted indignantly to the National Council's decision. Cutting international cooperation (IC) in favor of the army is a frontal attack on the holistic security policy, wrote Alliance Sud.
IC has already had to accept reductions in other development aid in favor of aid in Ukraine. According to Alliance Sud, any further cuts at the expense of the poorest call Switzerland's proven international cooperation into question.
In a press release, the development organization Swissaid called the plans for cuts "deeply lacking in solidarity". It called for a "solidarity alert" with a view to the budget decisions of the councils. It is irresponsible to make savings at the expense of the poorest and to make massive cuts in development cooperation.
The detour of funds from IC to the army is "alarming" for the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (Gsoa). Foreign aid plays an important role in the prevention of conflicts. If it were to fall victim to military armament, this would be a declaration of bankruptcy.
The Gsoa criticized "the senseless arms race" and called for "a sober threat analysis". The State Secretariat for Security Policy stated that a military threat from an attack on land or from the air was unlikely.
More money for the army faster
The Swiss parliament wants to increase the budget for the army faster than the Federal Council and use an additional four billion francs for this purpose. They want to finance these funds by making savings elsewhere in the administration. However, the details are still open.
On the one hand, the National Council wants to reduce the cantons' share of direct federal tax and, on the other, make cuts to international cooperation and federal personnel. It also wants to achieve savings by increasing efficiency in the Armed Forces Defense Group and the Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse).
In June, the Council of States voted in favor of a similar, but not identical, compensation concept. According to this, half of the CHF 4 billion is to be saved in international cooperation, with the remainder going to the Department of Defense and other parts of the Federal Administration.
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