SVP-Egger with controversial proposal: Those who work overtime should be rewarded

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

SVP National Councilor Mike Egger (30)’s recipe for combating the skills shortage is simple: work more! The people of St. Gallen want tax breaks for those who work overtime.

In concrete terms, employees should no longer have to pay tax on paid overtime in the future. In a move, the St. Gallen is calling on the Bundesrat to amend the law accordingly.

Incentive to work 100 percent

Egger criticizes that it is no longer profitable for full-time employees to work. Because higher wages mean higher taxes. “Under certain circumstances, it may therefore be more attractive to work part-time than full-time.”

Egger works part-time and would therefore not benefit from his own proposal. Because only those who work 100 percent should be able to declare the overtime deduction in the tax return, he demanded. This is intended to create an incentive to work full-time. In addition, this prevents the deduction from becoming a control trick.

The SVP National Council is convinced that its proposal is also in the interest of companies desperate for more staff. You won’t solve the professional’s problem that way, he admits. “But it would at least be a contribution.”

union man Alleva warns

However, the proposal is received with skepticism by Fabio Regazzi (60), center member of the National Council and president of the trade association. “It is doubtful whether a tax deduction for overtime will effectively reduce the shortage of skilled workers,” he says. Overtime would mean a lot of bureaucracy for SMEs. Another caveat: most overtime is not paid at all.

Vania Alleva (54), president of the Unia trade union, warns: “Excessive working days are physically and mentally stressful for employees and demonstrably lead to more accidents and occupational diseases.” In addition, Alleva points out that labor law sets a maximum working time – depending on the job, it is 45 or 50 hours. “Tax breaks for overtime would not only be harmful to health, it would drive labor laws straight to absurdity,” she says.

Moreover: It is not possible to solve the shortage of skilled workers by increasing the number of hours worked individually. “In professions with a shortage of skilled workers, the pressure to work long hours is already high. A further increase in working hours will only make these professions less attractive and thus exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers.”

Source:Blick