Cantonal finances Bern Grand Council approves tax cut

As part of the budget debate on Wednesday, the Bernese cantonal parliament approved a tax cut of 0.5 tax tenths for natural persons. This will cost CHF 79 million per year.

A motion by the left to waive the tax cut did not stand a chance in the Grand Council, which is dominated by the middle classes. During the debate in Bern's town hall, Finance Director Astrid Bärtschi (center) emphasized that the tax cut was intended to bring Bern back towards the middle of the field in the Swiss tax comparison of cantons.

After two and a half days of debate, the Grand Council approved the budget with a surplus of around CHF 242.4 million, against the wishes of the left-green council minority.

SDA