Switzerland has one of The lowest state rates in Europe. The the from the Federal office of statistics recently published Figures showing the government spending in 2017. The state rate includes all of the public services and redistribution in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). This rate is compared over many years, relatively constant, between 32 and 33 percent, in 2017, it amounted to 32.9 percent.
The last major eruptions date back to the zero years. Causes the out-Financing of pension funds of the Federal government, and strong fluctuations in the economy around the dot-com bubble and the financial crisis.
However, there are two Swiss features. So is not in this country, settled in contrast to the majority of European countries (e.g. France), the compulsory health insurance through the state, but by private institutions to run. The same applies to the second pillar of the pension system, the mandatory pension funds. You would include this expenditure to the state budget, would be the Switzerland in the lower European average.
The municipalities to manage steadily less public money.
For SVP national councillor Christian Imark, the state rate is too high: “The public administration grows and grows, while the private sector stagnates.” In fact, the Federal Council called last year in response to an Interpellation of Imark Figures: the average growth was over the past 20 years, the rate in the private sector, 0.8 per cent per year, while it was in the public sector at 1.7 percent. “For SMEs, the Situation is getting worse: projects such as the paternity leave, the act on Co2 or higher VAT and wage deductions for the pension savings lead to ever more taxes,” says Imark.
in contrast, the SP-national councillor Barbara Gysi: “We have a long-stable state rate, which is not intended to be high – on the contrary.” In recent years, taxes had been lowered, so that the public could no longer perform all the tasks. Gysi refers to, for example, the recent Federal court decision, which obliges the Canton of Lucerne, Thousands of families subsidized Premiums to pay.
The entire state budget amounted to 2017, around 228 billion Swiss francs. It is primarily made up of direct and indirect taxes, charges and payroll deductions for AHV, IV and ALV. By far the largest Item relates to 90.5 billion and social insurance (39.6 percent of the state budget), which is redistributed in the Form of AHV, IV, and unemployment insurance. It is followed with 37.7 billion, the expenditure on education (16.5 percent), as well as by 31.2 billion in spending for the public administration (13.7 percent).
The biggest part is managed by the cantons, a good 33 percent. On the Federal government 26 percent, and the municipalities 18 percent. The Rest (22 percent) is accounted for by the social insurance. It is interesting to note that over the last 20 years a slow shift of this weighting has resulted in: The cantons, while the municipalities manage steadily less of the public money.
In absolute Numbers, the state spending between 1995 and 2017, from 137 to 228 billion increase. This is a substantial increase of 65 percent. However, considering the Inflation in this period, reduced the increase in (still significant) 49 percent. The real growth of the economy at this time was also 49 percent, with the result that the state-to-GDP ratio remains constant.
a significant decline, the expenditure for the military, since 1995, have been halved this practical and are now at less than one percent of GDP. This Trend is visible, but not in this strength: The expenditure for the military declined in the EU since the year 2000, from 1.5 percent to 1.3 percent.
The exception to the rule is also confirmed here: The Baltic States have increased in the last years the expenditure for the military, and are far above the European average. This is likely to be a direct result of the Crimean crisis and the fear of Russian aggression.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 06.02.2019, 19:16 PM
