Kick-off funding for daycare centers – National Council wants to support childcare with 710 million – News

  • External childcare is set to become cheaper for parents in the future.
  • The National Council decided that.
  • The Commission estimates that the implementation of the proposal will cost the Confederation CHF 710 million per year.

With 107 votes to 79 and five abstentions, the National Council voted in favor of “translating the initial funding into a modern solution”. The SVP and most members of the FDP parliamentary group as well as individual members of the center voted against it.

Costs of 710 million Swiss francs per year


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Family-related childcare is actually a matter for the cantons. However, the federal government has supported this over the past 20 years with an impulse program that expires in 2024. Therefore, against the will of the Federal Council, it is now to be converted into a permanent law.

The federal government has so far supported the creation of childcare places with CHF 451 million. 72,271 new places in day-care centers, in after-school care and in day care families were created.

The Commission for Science, Education and Culture (WBK-N) estimates the costs to be borne by the federal government for making childcare places cheaper at CHF 710 million. The National Council wants the federal government to cover up to 20 percent of the average cost of a childcare place for four years. After that, the federal contribution will be redefined depending on the financial commitment of the cantons and, if necessary, reduced to 10 percent. Childcare places are supported until the end of their primary school years for children whose parents work a certain amount of work.

The aim of the bill is to encourage employment by giving families more subsidies towards the cost of caring for their children. The initial funding provided by the federal government for the creation of childcare places for twenty years is to be permanently anchored in law.

Daycare places that are too expensive and economic benefits

The proponents argued with the economic benefit of making childcare places cheaper. She also defended herself against the accusation that care in institutions was preferred to other models.

SP National Councilor Matthias Aebischer gave several reasons why financial support from the federal government would be necessary. “When it comes to extra-family childcare, Switzerland ranks last in an international comparison.” Day care places are too expensive and there are too few of them. “Ten years after giving birth, women earn 50 percent less than if they hadn’t had children,” says Aebischer. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, he also pleaded for better use of the domestic workforce.

Unfair law and “unilateral symbolic politics”

The SVP did not want to go into the template. Her representative Nadja Umbricht Pieren spoke of a “unilateral symbolic policy” and argued that the law was unfair. “Only parents should receive financial support from the federal government who have their children institutionally looked after externally, i.e. in a daycare center or by a state-approved childminder.” On the other hand, if you hire a nanny, you get nothing.

The SVP was also bothered by the costs. The FDP and Mitte also called for a financially viable compromise. Almost all of the motions by the citizens and the Federal Council for reductions in contributions had no chance.

No counter-financing of care contributions via federal tax

The commitment credit of CHF 224 million, which will initially be used to support programs in the cantons over a period of four years, was also controversial. They are intended to ensure that the cantons continue to develop and expand their childcare offerings. Citizens, the Finance Commission and the Federal Council flatly rejected the commitment loan. In the end, however, the majority of the WBK-N prevailed.

Legend:

Meret Schneider (Greens/ZH, right), discussing with Valérie Piller Carrard (SP/FR) and Simon Stadler (middle/UR) in the National Council.

KEYSTONE/Peter Klaunzer

The National Council does not want to prescribe that funds from the OECD minimum tax should primarily be used for contributions to childcare outside the family. The large chamber also rejected the counter-financing of the childcare contributions desired by the Federal Council by reducing the canton’s share of the federal tax.

The business now goes to the Council of States.

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