Federal Bern does not want to abolish mandatory military service: hemophiliacs must continue to pay

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The carpenter from the Lucerne agglomeration would have liked to perform military service. Only: he’s not allowed. The man suffers from the hereditary disease hemophilia. If he is injured, the blood flow will no longer stop as quickly.

This is too sensitive for the army. She rejected the professional. Instead, he must pay mandatory military service until he is 37 years old. This also applies to other hereditary diseases such as diabetes.

Those who are willing to serve view taxes as unfair

The following applies to those affected: Anyone who does not provide service must pay. Three percent of the taxable income is due annually. These are not huge amounts, especially since the tax is halved due to a disability that is not classified as significant. But over the years a lot has come together.

Lucerne Central Canton Councilor Daniel Piazza (45) thinks this is unfair. He explained to the news portal Zentralplus that it was not okay that those affected had to continue paying the military replacement tax.

And he even got the Lucerne cantonal parliament to submit a professional initiative last April: people with hemophilia or diabetes who want to serve should be exempt from the replacement tax. A goal also supported by the Swiss Hemophilia Society.

It’s not just about the tax itself. The situation is perceived as unfair by those willing to serve: “They are liable to pay taxes even if they were willing to serve within their means,” the Lucerne Canton Council argued.

“This would effectively eliminate this tax”

In Bern, however, the residents of Lucerne fall on deaf ears. The Provisional Security Committee (SiK-S) of the Council of States rejected the request of the Canton of Lucerne with ten votes against and one abstention – all under the chairmanship of Andrea Gmür, State Councilor of the Lucerne Center (59).

The acceptance of the class initiative would mean “that all persons who are unfit for service and willing to serve, but for one reason or another are unable to perform military service, would be exempted from the replacement tax without subjecting to any further conditions meet,” Gmür explains in her report.

And the Commission doesn’t like that. Because: “This would effectively mean that this tax would be abolished, which the SiK-S rejects, mainly for reasons of military justice.”

The federal government has set up a special service

The Federal Council also spoke out against the issue in 2020. Because this would lead to legal inequality, the state government argued in response to a request from Center National Councilor Marie-France Roth Pasquier (55). There is no right to normal military service. So there is no right to argue that unsuitable people should not have to pay a replacement fee if they want to serve but are not admitted.

At the same time, the Federal Council pointed out that the federal government had established a special military service following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2009. Since then, people with a disability of less than 40 percent can serve as company soldiers without a weapon under certain circumstances.

Between 2013 and 2019, 974 people were reassessed. 763 persons were found suitable for this military service, in addition 111 persons were declared unfit for this service. Of these, 42 were exempt from the replacement compensation due to an integrity restriction of at least 40 percent. However, the remaining 69 people still have to pay taxes.

A number that puts the problem somewhat into perspective. The aforementioned carpenter from Lucerne also no longer has to pay. After the Hemophilia Society filed a complaint with the federal government, he was exempt from the annual tax.

Source:Blick