Swiss political party president wants to tax companies for hiring foreign workers

FDP Chairman Burkart calls for tax on immigration for businesses Keystone-SDA

As part of the negotiations between the Swiss government and the European Union (EU), Radical Party President Thierry Burkart has come out in favour of an immigration tax for Swiss companies.

Burkart wants Switzerland to consider such an instrument on the free movement of EU workers. Swiss companies attract skilled workers from abroad who contribute to the country’s prosperity, the senator from canton Aargau said in an interview published on Monday in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper. At the same time, more people also generate more costs, Burkart added. For example, more teachers and doctors are needed in Switzerland. “With a tax, it would be up to companies to weigh the advantages and disadvantages,” he said.

Abolish numbers quota in medicine

For the senator, it is clear that a safeguard clause is needed “to allow Switzerland to regulate immigration effectively.” The EU must make concessions to Switzerland. However, in addition to possible instruments of its own, such as an immigration tax, the Swiss government must also change its own policies.

For example, according to Burkart, the quotas for admission to medical studies should be abolished. “It is unacceptable that we make it so difficult for Swiss students to enter medical studies and at the same time we have to bring in 40% of doctors from abroad.”

Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ac

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