Today, Swiss voters voted on two federal initiatives: New Financial Regime 2021 and No Billag.
© Stefano Ember | Dreamstime.com
Switzerland’s federal government must periodically seek voter approval to collect taxes. Currently, the federal government has the right to levy these taxes until 2020. Today’s New Financial Regime 2021 vote, is aimed at extending this right until 2035.
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, Switzerland’s public broadcaster is largely funded by a broadcasting fee. This fee, known colloquially as Billag, the name of the agency that collects it, is paid by most companies and essentially every household. The No Billag initiative, is a bid to do away with fee.
The New Financial Regime 2021 vote was accepted by 84.1% of voters, while the No Billag vote was rejected by 71.6% of voters.
A majority of voters in all cantons were in favour of the New Financial Regime 2021 initiative and against the No Billag initiative. The often seen linguistic divide was absent on both votes.
Neuchâtel (78.3%) was the most against the No Billag initiative, followed by Jura (78.1%), Fribourg (77.6%), Graubunden (77.2%), Vaud (76.1%), Zurich (75.1%) and Geneva (74.8%). Cantons with the lowest percentages of voters rejecting the plan were Schwyz (62.4%) and Schaffhausen (62.7%).
Vaud’s vote on tax funded dental care was rejected by 57.5% of voters.
Votations du #4mars Carte du résultat final #CHvote Non #SoinsDentaires 57.57% #Vaud (Participation 55.67%) pic.twitter.com/tX6Unn1wUb
— Etat de Vaud (@EtatdeVaud) March 4, 2018
Geneva’s votes on budget cuts were all rejected, according to RTS.
#4mars #VilledeGenève Résultats #Budget17Gen NON 61.84% #Budget17Sol NON 52.46% #Budget17Cult NON 60.74% #Budget17Scol NON 63.15% #IN_FetesdeGenève NON 54.52%#CP_FetesdeGenève OUI 54.69% #QuestionSubsidiaire CP 59.52% #ModificationZone OUI 59.93%
— Chancellerie Genève (@GE_chancellerie) March 4, 2018
In Basel-City, a vote to reduce the pensions of court officials and members of government was accepted by 61.9% of voters, according to the newspaper BZ Basel. Another initiative “for fair and sustainable nutrition” requiring the canton to promote vegetarian and vegan meals and provide vegan meal options in public canteens was rejected by 67.1% of voters.
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