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The ticket tax for scheduled flights is a done deal. The National Council and the Council of States agree that a flight will cost between 30 and 120 francs more in the future.
But what about all the private and business flights that account for two-thirds of all flight movements in Switzerland? The last word has yet to be said here. Today, Monday, the Council of States bows to the final differences in the new CO2 law, one of which is the tax on private plane tickets.
Pilatus warns of a drop in sales
Parliament wants to exempt sports pilots and fans from the tax. That is why the National Council decided that only those who fly a machine that weighs more than 5700 kilograms should be asked to pay.
The Committee on the Environment of the Council of States is now proposing to also relax the CO2 tax for private jets. Instead of 5700, the limit should be 8618 kilograms. According to the Federal Office for the Environment, between 14,300 and 15,300 flights would be affected by the tax instead of 18,300 flights per year.
As the “Tages-Anzeiger” reports, critics speak of a “Lex Pilatus”. Stans’ aircraft manufacturer fought a letter to commission members for a relaxation of the tax liability. Pilatus warns in a letter that the 5,700 kilogram limit would “hurt” the sales opportunities of its PC-24 and that its competitiveness would be “reduced.” The Swiss-made business jet, which is also used by the Federal Council, weighs around 8,300 kilograms.
With a casting vote on the Pilatus proposal
The lobbying has paid off. With the casting vote of the president, the commission recommended increasing the weight limit. “From the commission’s point of view, this decision increases the applicability of the tax and is in line with Swiss aircraft manufacturers,” the commission’s press release said. This makes it clear that Pilatus significantly influenced the decision.
According to the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the Solothurn Pirmin Bischof State Council (CVP), in particular, defended the solution favored by Pilatus. According to him, this “does not have much” to do with the Swiss aircraft manufacturer’s business, but rather with the fact that the distinction between planes weighing less and more than 5,700 kilograms is outdated. However: the limit is still used in Europe today to differentiate between different classes of aircraft.
Other open points
The Council of States will not only discuss the question of which aircraft are subject to tax. It has not yet been determined how high the rate will be for private and business jets. The National Council proposes a range of 500 to 5,000 francs, depending on the size of the plane. The Committee on the Environment of the Council of States supports this proposal. However, it is still controversial what criteria are used to determine who has to pay how much. A small majority of the commission would like to know how far someone flies in a private jet also plays a role. (lha)
