[ad_1]
The city of Winterthur could soon be among the best cantons in terms of taxes. The reactions are violent.
For a long time there was silence on finances in Winterthur: the much-quoted phrase of SVP cantonal councilor René Isler, when the sixth largest city plagued financial concerns in 2013: “Winterthur is the Greece of Switzerland”, seemed to have been forgotten. But now the economic budget of the city is causing redheads again.
Winterthur is struggling with rising costs
The Winterthur city government is planning a massive tax increase for next year. The tax rate will increase by 7 percentage points to 129 percent, mainly for two reasons. On the one hand, there is the Corona crisis, which has hit Winterthur hard like many other Swiss cities.
On the other hand, there is the growth of the city. Around 15,000 more people live in Winterthur today than ten years ago. This raises costs considerably in the health sector, in social services or in education. The goal now is to set the course for a sustainably funded and livable city of Winterthur, according to the finance department statement.
Saving is out of the question
Kaspar Bopp, Winterthur’s chief financial officer, abstains from new austerity programs. “We analyzed the services and concluded that they are important and make a decisive contribution to the quality of life and the attractiveness of the city.” Therefore, they must be met.
“We did not make the decision easy,” says Winterthur CFO Kaspar Bopp.
Keystone
One thing is also certain: if the parliament and, in a referendum, the voters agree to this increase, Winterthur will be catapulted into new spheres of taxation. Only in the municipalities of Maschwanden and Wila is the tax rate slightly above 130 percent.
Where is your municipality in the Zurich tax ranking?
Due to higher tax revenues and higher financial compensation contributions, the City of Winterthur expects an increase of a good eleven million francs next year. In subsequent years, however, deficits are still expected as forecast by the Finance Department.
The bourgeois parties react harshly
The reactions to the Winterthur parties are emotional. The SVP is “shocked by the excess of the city council” and speaks of a “catastrophe”. For the GLP, the city council acts without a plan and the FDP even fears that “with the same attitude, the end of the flagpole will not be reached even with a tax rate of 129 percent”. The bourgeois parties, as well as the parliamentary group CVP / EDU, have already announced that they will fight against the increase in the tax rate in the town hall.
The political left, on the other hand, sees the need for a tax increase. The Greens argue that quality has its price. The SP, the party of CFO Kaspar Bopp, is of the same opinion. She describes the tax rate increase as “painful”, but it is necessary. An attractive city also has a corresponding price.
