Open letter to the House of Representatives: fight for tax on war profits continues

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For the Greens, the decision of the National Council Economic Commission (WAK-N) is nothing but shame. By 15 votes to 10 against, the committee’s middle-class majority decided against a tax on war profits. GroenLinks chairman Balthasar Glättli (51) is demanding with a parliamentary initiative that massive profits from the war in Ukraine be taxed extra in the meantime. His party focuses on the local trade in commodities.

But the majority of the Commission wants nothing to do with it. She fears that such a tax would “significantly distort market mechanisms and lead to undesirable side effects”. WAK chairman and CNV council member Leo Müller (64) does not go into details in his statement. So much: taxing excess profits is technically difficult to implement. Even the Federal Council did not like such a special tax until now.

Additional profit for the reconstruction of Ukraine

However, the Greens and their allies do not want to give up. “Russian bombs explode in Ukraine, and in Switzerland the war benefits from Russian resources,” warns Glättli. Companies in Switzerland would significantly finance the Russian war of aggression. A tax on war profits would not just take money away from the Russian war machine. The additional tax revenue will also be used for reconstruction in Ukraine.

A broad alliance of Greens, the Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) and various clubs and associations are now trying to turn the tide in parliament. In an open letter, for which signatures are still being collected, they call on politicians to take responsibility for the Swiss resource center and its role in the war in Ukraine.

Already introduced in several countries

For former Green National Council and GSoA veteran Jo Lang (69), Switzerland is even in debt to Ukraine. After all, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) is destroying Ukraine thanks to Swiss billions in his war chest or thanks to Swiss machines for bombers, missiles or munitions.

The idea of ​​such a special tax is not new. Similar concepts called windfall tax or random profit tax already exist in several European countries. In particular, oil companies or raw material or arms companies have benefited from the war in Ukraine. Even the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has already introduced a special tax. (dba)

Source:Blick