Taxes to count towards the calculation of the minimum subsistence level in future
Published: Wednesday, Mar 13th 2024, 12:40
Updated At: Monday, May 27th 2024, 18:00
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In future, the taxes of debtors should also be taken into account when calculating their minimum subsistence level under debt enforcement law. After the Council of States, the National Council also voted in favor of this on Monday.
The Federal Council has thus received a mandate from Parliament to draw up a bill to amend the Federal Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act. The motion, which was adopted by the Council of States and National Council, originates from the Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of States (RK-S). Both councils approved it without opposition.
According to the RK-S, the problem is that if current taxes are taken into account during a garnishment, only new tax debts arise for the debtor. This is unsatisfactory. According to parliamentary documents, health insurance premiums are taken into account when calculating the minimum subsistence level under debt enforcement law.
The Federal Council requested that the motion be accepted. Last November, the national government outlined possible solutions to the problem in a 30-page report. It did so in fulfillment of a postulate on this topic from National Councillor Diana Gutjahr (SVP/TG) that had been approved by the National Council.
According to parliamentary documents, the so-called minimum subsistence level under debt enforcement law plays a role above all in the case of garnishment. In the case of seizures of income or wages, the part of the debtor's income that exceeds the minimum subsistence level under debt enforcement law is confiscated by the debt enforcement office and distributed to the creditors.
Like the Council of States before it, the National Council on Monday also rejected an initiative by the Canton of Geneva on the same topic. In doing so, it listened to the two preliminary committees of the two Councils. They both felt that the motion was the better way to change the situation than the Geneva initiative.
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