Employers’ organisation urges cut in corporate taxes

Andres Leuenberger, president of "economiesuisse" Keystone

The Swiss employers' federation "economiesuisse" has called for the government to revamp some of its financial policies, now that the federal budget has been balanced.

At its annual press conference in Bern, economiesuisse – formerly known as “Vorort” – called for a one per cent reduction in taxes on corporate profits, which would save the business community around SFr600 to SFr700 million ($347 to $405 million) per year.

It also urged the government to sell its remaining majority stake in Swisscom, allowing the group to “react freely to market forces without political influence”.

Headquartered in Zurich, economiesuisse, or the Swiss Business Federation, was created last year and is the result of a merger between the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry (Vorort) and the Society for the Promotion of Swiss Business and Industry (WF).

The organisation said at the outset that its core activity “is to help inform the decision-making process at the national and international level so that policies and legislative proposals which affect business take account of companies’ needs”.

swissinfo with agencies