Merz campaigns for corporate tax breaks
Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz says a planned reform of corporate tax will benefit small and medium-sized enterprises – the backbone of the Swiss economy.
He dismissed criticism that major shareholders would be the main winners if voters approved the reform at the ballot box on February 24.
Parliament has approved the reform, but centre-left parties and the trade unions have challenged it to a nationwide vote.
Merz said the proposed tax breaks for capital gains and for the restructuring of small firms would boost economic growth in the long term.
A similar tax reform in 1998 for holding companies helped create jobs in Switzerland and increased tax revenue, according to the ministry.
Opponents say the latest reform infringes on the principle of fair taxation, while centre-right parties, the business community and the 26 cantons have all come out in favour of the plans.
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