Swiss initiative wants flight tax to fund public transport

Initiative launched to tax air transport and favour railways Keystone-SDA

The Swiss environmental organisation Straffico has launched a popular initiative to tax air travel to pay for the expansion of public transport.

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The initiative is called “For strong public transport and fair flight prices (Mobility Voucher Initiative)”.

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Air traffic is reaching unprecedented levels, with “disastrous consequences for the climate”, according to Franziska Ryser, co-president of the association and Green Party parliamentarian. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, “effective measures capable of gaining the support of a broad majority” are needed, she added.

The initiative website states that “travelling by train is more expensive than flying, despite the fact that air travel has a much greater environmental impact”. The initiative wants to introduce a minimum CHF30 fee on air tickets based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle, which would vary depending on the route and class booked.

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A tax of at least CHF500 would also be levied for each private jet take-off. The precise amounts will be set by the Federal Council and parliament.

Substantial revenue

The expected revenue would amount to approximately CHF1.5 billion per year. At least two thirds of this sum would be paid out to the population in the form of public transport vouchers worth around CHF110 per year, which could be used regionally, nationally and internationally.

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The rest of the revenue should enable the development of “attractive and accessible” rail connections to neighbouring countries.

“The initiative will financially benefit about 90% of the population,” parliamentarian Martine Docourt stated, adding that the vast majority of citizens will receive more money in vouchers than they will spend in taxes. “Only about 10%, who fly often or travel in premium class, will pay more than they receive in return.”

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The initiative is supported by left leaning political parties and numerous environmental and public transport organisations. The deadline for collecting signatures is October 28, 2027.

Long-debated topic

The issue of the airline ticket tax has been debated for several years. In 2021, by rejecting the first version of the CO2 Act for the period 2025-2030, Swiss voters rejected such a levy.

Several parliamentary initiatives calling for its introduction have since failed in parliament. Lawmakers also did not want to hear about it in the context of the new CO2 law, which comes into force in 2025.

According to a representative survey by the gsf-zurich institute commissioned by actif-trafiC, two thirds of the Swiss would be in favour of a tax on airline tickets.

Translated from German with AI/mga

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