Electric car drivers will soon have to pay more in Zurich

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• The canton of Zurich has the highest proportion of electric cars among new vehicles, resulting in financial shortfalls in the road fund due to the current exemption from charges.
• A conservative alliance therefore wants to introduce a weight-based traffic tax for electric cars in order to secure the financing of the road infrastructure in the long term.
• Left-wing parties criticize the proposal and are calling for an ecologically oriented reform, while the federal government is examining a national solution with a kilometer-based levy or electricity tax by 2030.

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The canton of Zurich has the highest proportion of electric cars among new cars in Switzerland. However, this development leads to financial challenges, as electric cars have so far been exempt from the cantonal transport tax.

A bourgeois alliance made up of the SVP, FDP and Center Party is now planning to extend this levy to electric cars in order to secure revenue for the road fund, as reported by the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. The fund finances the cantonal road infrastructure, which is coming under pressure due to the increasing number of electric cars.

FDP cantonal councillor Marc Bourgeois, himself an electric car owner, supports the initiative. He argues that all road users should make a fair contribution. The planned levy should be based on the total weight of the vehicles, whereby electric cars would continue to pay less than vehicles with fossil fuels.

Bourgeois emphasizes that the levy would not reduce the attractiveness of electric cars, as other factors such as vehicle prices and charging options are more decisive.

Left-wing camp is skeptical

The Greens and other parties are expressing concerns. They are calling for a levy that promotes smaller, energy-efficient vehicles and advocate a coordinated reform with ecological criteria. The SP is open to discussion, but emphasizes the need for investment in charging infrastructure and the expansion of public transport. The GLP is prepared to support a moderate levy if it is combined with higher charges for conventional vehicles.

The road fund is in debt, and without countermeasures the debt could increase significantly by 2040. The cantonal government has already pointed out the pressure in 2022, but has not announced any concrete measures.

The conservative alliance is aiming for electric cars to pay a moderate levy in around three years' time until a comprehensive solution is found at federal level. Transport Minister Albert Rösti is planning a levy per kilometer driven or a tax on charged electricity by 2030, but implementation remains uncertain.