Parliament approves transit tax across Switzerland
A transit tax will be introduced for road traffic that crosses Switzerland without stopping.
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On Thursday the House of Representatives approved a Senate motion to this effect by 173 votes to 13, against the advice of the government.
The tax, proposed by Ticino parliamentarian Marco Chiesa, is intended in particular to address the problem of traffic jams on the north-south axis through the Gotthard tunnel. The amount of the charge is to be set according to traffic density, the time of day and the day of the week, so as to encourage vehicles to travel at certain times of the day rather than others.
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The government and the centrist Liberal Green Party, supported by some of the centre-right Radical-Liberal party, were opposed. Even if such a tax could be designed to comply with international law, it would be unconstitutional, said Liberal Green parliamentarian Barbara Schaffner. The Federal Constitution provides for motorway use to be tax-free, with the exception of the vignette and the heavy vehicle fee, she said.
Opponents also argued that the motion would result in an additional administrative burden. All border crossings would have to be monitored, and the “special” nature of a stop in Switzerland would have to be defined. All to no avail.
Adapted from French by AI/ts
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