Switzerland to vote on March 4 on abolition of Billag fees
On March 4, 2018, Switzerland will vote on the No Billag initiative, which calls for the abolition of fees for the SRG. The second federal bill concerns the extension of direct federal tax and value added tax.
Parliament and the Federal Council recommend that the No Billag initiative be rejected. A counter-proposal from the SVP, which wanted to limit the current fee of around CHF 450 to a maximum of CHF 200, also had no chance in parliament.
Media Minister Doris Leuthard told the National Council in September that the future fee for the SRG would be reduced to "well below CHF 400". In June 2015, in a historically close decision, the people said yes to a device-independent reception fee for all households. This should be lower than the current fee.
Today, SRG is 70 to 73 percent financed by fees. It receives CHF 1.235 billion of the total CHF 1.35 billion collected. Around half of the SRG fee money goes towards information.
The second proposal on March 4 is the 2021 Financial Ordinance. The subject of this constitutional amendment is the extension of direct federal tax and VAT beyond 2020. The constitutional amendment is to enter into force on January 1, 2021.
The Federal Council had initially wanted to amend the financial regulations so that direct federal tax and VAT could be levied indefinitely in future. Following opposition during the consultation process, it limited the period to 15 years. (SDA)
