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For a limited period of time, employment insurance, railways and cantons should also receive less money for balanced state finances.
What is almost forgotten in view of the multi-billion dollar guarantees from the federal government for the bank rescue: the Federal Council actually wants to save. Save massively. He has already decided on measures for the army budget and development aid. Today he doubled.
Not only next year, but also in the years after that, the expenditure should fall, because in the ordinary budget, a deficit of one billion Swiss francs threatens. The federal government will spend more in the coming years, partly because Parliament wants to spend more on the army and climate protection, for example.
250 million less for ALV, over five years
Among other things, the red pen is applied to the ALV unemployment insurance. The federal government wants to reduce its contribution to the financing by CHF 250 million per year, limited to five years. This should not affect the benefits for the unemployed because the capital of the ALV fund is sufficient even with this savings measure.
The Federal Council also wants to pay 150 million less to finance the railway infrastructure over a period of three years. According to the Federal Council, this cut should not jeopardize the expansion of the railway infrastructure.
Daycare financing
An expensive point is the financing of external childcare. In the future, the National Council wants to discount daycare centers with contributions of up to 800 million francs. The Federal Council opposes this. If it does come to that, the cantons should be involved in the financing.
The Federal Council also sees a need for action on the widow’s pension. In future, widows and widowers should only receive payments until the youngest child is 25 years old.
Targeting all policy areas
The federal government does not want to generate new tax revenue, but rather curb spending. Measures announced by the Federal Council at the beginning of the year are more short-term. For example, next year’s budget should see army spending grow more slowly. In addition, all other policy areas should also spend two percent less than planned.
The state budget must be balanced, that is in the federal constitution, and the debt brake monitors this. In June, the Federal Council intends to submit the entire proposal for cuts for the coming budgets to the associations, parties and cantons.