Schwyzer Do Not Want to Lower Tax Burden for Electric Cars
Published: Sunday, Oct 22nd 2023, 15:40
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The citizens of the canton of Schwyz have rejected a partial revision of the law on motor vehicle taxes. The proposal was rejected by 61.38 percent of the vote. The aim of the proposal was to remove the existing tax disadvantage for electric vehicles. The tax burden would have been reduced to the same level as vehicles with combustion engines, creating incentives for the switch to electric vehicles. The calculation basis for electric vehicles would have been adjusted to be solely based on the total weight, rather than a combination of power and total weight as it currently is. The proposal had been met with divided opinions in the cantonal council, where it was passed with only 58 to 34 votes in the spring of 2023. The proposal was then put to the people, who rejected it with 36,871 no votes and 23,201 yes votes. The turnout was 56.21 percent. A minority of the cantonal council had described the current calculation basis as "tried and tested, technology-neutral and consumer-friendly". There was no need for a revision of the law and the proposal was not "mature" and would lead to "distortions". For example, a large family car with low power would be taxed higher than a powerful sports car with two seats, as stated in the documents. Another argument against the proposal was the annual tax loss of around 840,000 francs.
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