The government is against it: voters in St. Gallen must vote on tax increases

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Compared to other cantons, it is striking that the rights of the people ‘to protect themselves against higher taxes’ are less well developed, according to the initiative of Yvonne Suter, Patrick Dürr and Daniel Grünenfelder (all in the middle), which is on the agenda for the upcoming September session.

Strengthening people’s rights makes sense. The government must now work out the basis, so that increases in the cantonal tax rate and any further increases in the tax burden must be put to the vote of the people.

The government rejects the proposal. She refers to the cantonal constitution, which ultimately lists the reasons for referenda. This includes, for example, decisions about new expenditures that exceed a certain amount. The motion therefore calls for a constitutional amendment.

In the eyes of the government, the existing rules on powers have proven their worth. The cantonal council decides on the budget and the tax rate. Parliament must not weaken its responsibility for the financial management of the state budget.

The government sees even more obstacles: after the initiative, a tax increase in the future could be rejected via the ballot box. But because the debt brake requires a balanced budget, the cantonal council would then have to make corrections on the expenditure side, which the population could no longer comment on.

The motion would also mean that any change in tax law that could lead to a potential additional burden, for example on legal entities, would require a referendum. This is disproportionate in the implementation of tax harmonisation. Compromises containing both tax-reducing and tax-increasing elements would also have to be voted on.

(SDA)

Source:Blick