Swiss People and Swiss Cantons Reject Fiscal Interference from Brussels
The Neue Zuricher Zeitung reports that an overwhelming majority of Swiss voters are opposed to attacks on their nation’s fiscal sovereignty. The story also quotes Switzerland’s Finance Minister, who notes that the European Union would have a hard time getting unanimous agreement in order to impose sanctions:
A new survey shows that…[t]hree-quarters said they opposed any interference from Brussels… The poll of more than 1,000 people was commissioned by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. …Many EU countries are angry that tax revenues are being lost as companies relocate to Switzerland — mainly to small cantons which offer low levies. …The survey results also hinted that the latest dispute has put the EU in a worse light among the Swiss. Only 41 per cent said they favoured providing financial aid for the latest EU member states, Romania and Bulgaria, as requested by the EU earlier this year. …[Swiss Finance Minister Merz] said Brussels would need unanimity from its member states to succeed with its attack on Switzerland’s tax regime, but that, he said, was unlikely since some EU countries also offer similar tax breaks. Merz said Switzerland did not want to set a dangerous precedent. “It could reach the point where the EU demands that we double the rate of our Value Added Tax so it’s in line with the EU average,” he warned.
Equally important, Swissinfo.org reports that cantonal governments also reject meddling by the European Commission. And since any change to Swiss policy would require approval from a majority of voters and a majority of cantons, the Euro‐crats face an uphill battle in their campaign to hinder tax competition:
Swiss cantons say the latest European Commission attack on Swiss corporate tax breaks will fail without a referendum to end the cantons’ financial independence. …The report was presented to the Swiss federal authorities, but central government would be powerless to make the cantons cooperate even if ministers changed their position of defending the system. “The Commission clearly does not understand our political system. The federal authorities have no say in this matter,” Kurt Stalder, secretary of the Conference of Cantonal Finance Directors, told swissinfo ahead of the EC report. “It is written into our laws that cantons set their own taxes and there must be a national referendum to change this. The people have had numerous invitations to make a change in the last few years but they have always voted to accept the system.” Stalder added that the 26 cantonal finance heads had voiced a unanimous resolution to resist pressure from Europe during a recent meeting of the Commission.
