Federal finances Council of States says yes to the federal budget without a dissenting vote
The army will receive an additional CHF 530 million in 2025, and no savings will be made on direct payments for agriculture. This is clear following the Council of States' decisions on the budget. What is controversial is how much will be saved on foreign aid.
09.12.2024, 20:19
SDA
The Council of States approved the budget on Monday evening by 42 votes to 0, with one abstention. However, many points in the budget have not yet been finalized. The ball is now back in the National Council's court. According to the Council's decisions to date, the amount by which development and foreign aid will be cut is controversial.
The Council of States wants to reduce spending on bilateral development cooperation and economic cooperation by a total of CHF 30 million. The National Council, on the other hand, cut foreign aid by CHF 250 million.
The Council of States wants to compensate for the higher expenditure on the army in the 2025 budget with cuts in various areas. The package it has approved comprises CHF 346 million. This does not resolve the funding issue, as the National Council now has to decide on several points of the cutback concept.
In addition, the Finance Committee of the Council of States wants to rely on income from the OECD minimum tax to finance the army alongside the compensation concept. It wants the Confederation to receive more money from this pot than initially planned and to be able to use it for the army. No decision has yet been made on this motion.
