- The SVP proposes a list of austerity measures to combat rising federal spending. According to the party, this should save 5.5 billion francs.
- The background to this is calculations by the Federal Council, according to which the federal government is threatened with deficits of up to 4 billion francs per year in the medium term.
The SVP is making the largest savings in asylum expenses. If the party’s plans were to go its way, these should be halved and limited to 2 billion francs. “In 2021, asylum spending was still less than a billion francs,” says SVP parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi, explaining the savings proposal, “now it is already 3.5 billion francs.” He also calls for “a tougher asylum policy” and demands that the responsible Federal Councilor, Beat Jans, “propose tougher legal adjustments”.
The list of savings measures
The SVP also wants to cut one billion from development aid and another 1.5 billion from federal personnel, which would mean cutting hundreds of jobs. The SVP would like to forego various tasks entirely, including the multilateral environmental fund, the energy-saving program “EnergySwiss” or the equal opportunities office.
17 suggestions on the spending side
The federal government has expanded its tasks in the past under pressure from the cantons and parliament, said Aeschi. That has to be reversed. “All those tasks that the Confederation no longer necessarily has to carry out can be given back, for example to the cantons or to private providers.”
Tasks that no longer necessarily have to be carried out by the Confederation can be returned to the cantons or to private providers.
The total of 17 suggestions that the SVP sent in a letter to a federal specialist group (see box) only have an effect on the expenditure side. “We want people to start there first, before citizens are burdened with additional taxes and duties again,” says Aeschi.
The SVP will not be able to count on the support of the left-wing parties for its austerity proposals. Rather, the votes of the FDP and the center will be decisive. Some measures are certainly possible, says FDP parliamentary group leader Damien Cottier, but he has great doubts as to whether all of these demands are feasible. “Some are really extreme and maybe a bit general.” However, he finds it useful as part of the discussion in this working group.
Savings, but not to this extent
Center faction leader Philipp Matthias Bregy reacts similarly. His party has always said that savings will be needed. “But we cannot make these savings along the lines of the SVP’s party-political program.” Both Cottier and Bregy think it is right to target asylum spending. But in terms of extent they do not agree with the SVP.
We cannot make these savings along the SVP program.
There shouldn’t be any taboos, says Cottier, but you can’t just cut off half of it, that would go too far. Center faction leader Bregy also believes it is impossible to save 1.5 billion on federal personnel. “That would only be possible if the federal government’s tasks were first redesigned and certain tasks were taken away from the federal government.” Since this is not done, this requirement is unrealistic.
The FDP and the Center disagree on whether the federal government should only focus on the expenditure side. While center parliamentary group leader Bregy, for example, is also bringing a new tax on financial transactions into play, new or higher taxes are currently not an issue for FDP parliamentary group leader Cottier.