Industry representatives decide to vote yes to the No Billag initiative
The Chamber of Commerce, the parliament of the Swiss Trade Association (SGV), has decided in favor of the No Billag initiative. The chamber made the decision on Wednesday with a vote ratio of 2:1, as the association announced.
The trade association is particularly annoyed by the "double taxation" of companies, as it wrote. Entrepreneurs would have to pay the "media tax" twice, as a private person and as a company owner.
"The industry does not accept this rip-off," SGV President Jean-François Rime was quoted as saying in the communiqué. In the communiqué, the association referred to its repeated call for a discussion about the SRG's mission in the public service. Without this discussion, politics could not be made.
Criticism of new levy
The sgv was already critical of the Federal Council's decision a week ago to set the tax for radio and TV at 365 francs a year, which will be mandatory for all households and certain companies from 2019. Even then, it called for all companies to be exempted from the "arbitrary media tax".
Although companies would not be able to listen to the radio or watch television, they would have to pay a levy graduated according to sales under the new regulation, but only above a sales threshold of 500,000 francs. The highest level is 35,530 francs.
The popular initiative "Yes to the abolition of radio and television license fees (abolition of Billag fees)" will be voted on March 4, 2018. (SDA)