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The leader of the FDP, Petra Gössi (44), has put a more ecological stamp on her party. The new course has already been clearly confirmed twice by the rank and file, the most recent with a clear slogan yes from 218 to 60 votes for the new OC.2-Law. A commitment that the FDP also helped forge. But now the referendum against the bill is coming out. The electorate is expected to decide on June 13. It will be the most important vote in 2021. Consequently, the party also wants to take a leading role in the election campaign, as Gössi underlines in the BLICK interview.
VIEW: Ms Gössi, an alliance of the petroleum industry, street associations and chimney sweeps has the referendum against CO2– Law taken. This is also supported by the trade association and the homeowners association. The FDP business party is now struggling with the economy!
Petra Gössi: No, you can’t say that! The new CO2-Geetz is strongly supported by the economy. Many companies and associations participate in the committee yes, for example Swissbanking, Swiss Insurance Association, Swiss Construction and TCS. It is legitimate for the oil lobby to represent its own interests. Also, that street associations represent their associative ideology. The FDP, on the other hand, takes into account the general interest of the population.
The co2The law burdens the economy with additional duties and obligations. How should this benefit the economy?
When the catalyst was introduced, the auto industry howled and perished. The opposite happened: the catalyst became an engine of innovation. I promise myself the same of the new CO2-Law. With the new law and the new climate fund, massive investments are made in research, innovation and development in Switzerland. This will make Switzerland a climate center! Our economy benefits from this and we create jobs for the new generation.
Opponents cite rising costs: 12 cents more for gasoline, a higher tax on heating oil, a tax on airline tickets. All of this strains the average consumer’s budget.
Not quite! This is pure fighting rhetoric from the oil lobby and its allies. The fact is, the law rewards green behavior with incentive taxes. Much of this money will also be returned to the population. Anyone who wants to drive a category F car or has an oil heater can continue to do so, but will have to pay a bit more down the road if reduction targets are not met. In the case of mineral oil, that is to say gasoline and diesel, we have introduced a cap on the maximum surcharge in Parliament. Today it is 5 cents, of which mineral oil importers only use 1.5 cents. These funds are used to finance climate protection projects at home and abroad.
The surcharge could now go up to 12 cents.
In the future, importers will also be able to increase the tax themselves by a maximum of 12 cents. Just as you don’t exhaust your maximum premium today, you don’t have to in the future. Climate activists even wanted 25 cents or more, which we were able to successfully prevent. So if you switch to clean energy, you benefit, and thanks to the rebate, the end result is even more money in your account.
Perhaps that applies to a city dweller using public transportation. In the countryside and in peripheral regions, many depend on automobiles.
It’s not just about the car, it’s also about building renovations and energy efficiency. Here we have the greatest room for maneuver. The law expressly provides for additional financial assistance through the climate fund, as well as exceptional provisions for rural and mountainous areas so that they are not overloaded. That is why the majority of the Councils of States of the rural and mountainous regions voted in favor of the law in the final vote.
The FDP wants to take a leading role in the referendum campaign, despite prominent opponents such as National Councilor Christian Wasserfallen or commercial director Hans-Ulrich Bigler. Is there a new threat of internal trench warfare?
This dispute was finally resolved with the slogans of the delegates. I hope that the internal opponents of the party will now contain themselves in the voting campaign. Personally, not all the details suit me. The decisive factor, however, is that it is not a prohibition law, but breathes a liberal spirit, promotes trade, research, innovation and protects the climate. The fact that it is only being released from the far left and far right shows that it is a typically Swiss compromise.
