Cross-border commuters demonstrate in Como against health levy
Published: Saturday, May 25th 2024, 11:50
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Around 150 Italian cross-border workers demonstrated in Como IT on Saturday against the new health tax imposed by Italy. The first demonstration by Italian cross-border workers was organized by six trade unions from both countries.
"This law is illegal," shouted a representative of the Italian trade union federation CISL. It is crazy to want to make Italian cross-border commuters change their minds with a tax, because they don't just work in Switzerland for the salary, but rather for the quality of life and work.
Trade unionists from Switzerland also traveled to Como on this rainy morning, including the VPOD trade union secretary and Lugano city councillor Raoul Ghisletta (SP). Unia representatives were present from Valais; in addition to the union flags, they brought cantonal flags with them to northern Italy.
Three to six percent of the net salary
The rally will focus on a new health tax that would see cross-border commuters pay between 3% and 6% of their net salary to the Italian healthcare system. This is intended to finance the salaries of Italian healthcare staff and limit migration from the border regions of Lombardy and Piedmont to Switzerland.
The Federal Council is also discussing the new tax, which is reportedly to be collected from 2025. The Italian regions will decide on the respective amount of the tax.
If the new levy contradicts the bilateral international agreements between Switzerland and Italy, the Swiss embassy in Rome will intervene with the relevant ministries, the Federal Council said at the end of January.
The new health tax will affect "old" cross-border commuters, i.e. those who started working in Switzerland before July 17, 2023. Almost 80,000 Italian workers cross the Swiss border into the canton of Ticino every day. The majority of them come from Lombardy.
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