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Press conference
The live ticker to read: “This program for difficult situations is unique in Switzerland” – Thurgau government speaks almost 50 million francs
Walter Schönholzer, Director of Economics, and Daniel Wessner, Head of the Office of Economics and Labor, will present the canton’s hardship program at a press conference in Frauenfeld on Thursday morning.
Walter Schönholzer, Regional President and Chief Financial Officer of Thurgau.
The press conference is over. You can read them here. The Thurgauer Zeitung wishes you a good day!
10:33 am
The newly formed Crown Commission of the Grand Council will discuss the measures in advance. If approved by the cantonal parliament, the measures will remain in force for one year. It is valid anyway because it is an emergency measure that is provided for in the constitution. There is no referendum option for the people.
10:30 am
Requests can be made from February 1, 2021 be asked. Information on this will soon be posted on a website. This allows companies to prepare their applications during the holiday period. Schönholzer: “It will pass very quickly.”
10:28 am
Beginning July 1, borrowers have the option of submitting a request for the loan to be converted to non-refundable contributions. That should be possible from the summer of 2021. “That gives the company some perspective.” A maximum of 75 percent of the loan can be converted. “With this model, we believe that we are careful with taxpayers’ money.” Currently, the affected companies have difficulties to cover their fixed costs. The two-phase model would take this into account.
10:25 am
The canton of Thurgau relied exclusively on interest-free loans that are limited to ten years. They should amount to a maximum of 25 percent of annual turnover. As Daniel Wessner says, a cantonal committee will examine the applications. “We expect a lot of applications,” says Wessner. An external group of experts calculates the assessment of the right. That is complex. “It’s about evaluating the future.” Experts from the main banks in Thurgau work in the group of experts. However, the decision is made by a cantonal council for situations of poverty, which consists of three members: the tax administration, the finance department and the economy and labor office. The tax authorities will make the payments. “There will be a loan agreement,” says Wessner. This turns the canton into a bank.
10:20 am
The first tranche of the compassionate use program in Thurgau is around eleven million francs. The second tranche 16.4 million. You don’t know everything about the third installment. If everything goes according to plan by the Federal Council, he will receive another 20.5 million Swiss francs in his last installment. “We want to exhaust all means for Thurgau’s economy,” underlines the Thurgau director of economics. A total of 47,775 million francs. According to Schönholzer, there are around 18 million cantonal funds available.
10:17 am
Walter Schönholzer now explains what the Thurgau relief program will look like. The federal government defines the basic requirements. For example, a company must have a turnover of at least 50,000 Swiss francs. In addition, the annual turnover in 2020 must be below 60 percent of the average of the previous two years. Schönholzer says he doesn’t know what it means if the referendum against federal law occurs. “The federal criteria are minimum requirements,” emphasizes Schönholzer. The canton could issue more requirements. In Thurgau, the following are:
- Businesses must be directly and immediately affected by a state-ordered measure to combat the crown.
- Companies employ at least three people
- Businesses must have fully exhausted the federal Covid-19 loan if they have applied for it.
10:10 am
Now Daniel Wessner takes the floor. He is the director of the Thurgau Labor and Economy Office. It says companies in the travel, tourism and restaurant sectors are struggling to survive. The events industry is also affected. After a recovery in the summer, the economy clouded again. “The corona pandemic is also affecting much of Thurgau’s economy.” About 90 percent of companies expect a drop in sales by 2020. Bankruptcies and mass layoffs cannot be ruled out. In the case of large companies in Thurgau, no major restructuring has been observed so far; but this cannot be ruled out in the future. In Thurgau, around 4,000 companies have represented short-time work. ‘ We paid 160 million Swiss francs in compensation. »
10:07 am
More support is needed for affected companies. “The government did not make it easy for him,” says Walter Schönholzer. He calls Thurgau’s compassionate use program “unique in Switzerland.”
10:04 am
District President Walter Schönholzer opens the press conference. Talk about the helplessness that is spreading. Also due to the still increasing number of cases. “And that’s before Christmas.” One problem is locating at the federal level. The federal parliament has not yet finished discussing the relevant law. “We are in the middle of a storm, an insurmountable activism and that in a blind escape.” With the poverty program, the canton becomes a bank. The challenges are enormous, the government has respect.
10:01 am
In total, the emergency program in Thurgau amounts to 47.5 million Swiss francs, according to a document. It consists of three sections.
09:49 am
The press conference in Frauenfeld will start in a few minutes. This is the cantonal implementation of the ordinance on emergency measures for companies in relation to the Covid 19 pandemic. It says so on the first slide.
