More What if the trains were financed by those who take the plane? (cross-border guide)

Context

A popular initiative promoted by an environmental organization wants to tax every flight departing from Switzerland and return most of the proceeds in the form of vouchers to travel by train. The proposal provides for the introduction of a tax of at least 30 Swiss francs on each ticket for flights departing from the Confederation.

Switzerland is a country with an efficient and well-developed train network, as evidenced by the recent news that SBB has reached 90% efficiency in its rail network. However, flights continue to be a major cause of air pollution and CO2 emissions in Switzerland. According to a report by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), flights account for 4.4% of greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland, while trains account for only 0.5%.

The popular initiative proposes to introduce a tax of at least 30 Swiss francs on each ticket for flights departing from the Confederation. This tax would be used to finance the train network in Switzerland and to incentivise passengers to choose the train as a means of transport. According to the promoters of the initiative, this tax could generate about 150 million Swiss francs per year, which would be used to finance the train network and to incentivize passengers to choose the train.

The proposed tax would apply to all flights departing from Switzerland, regardless of destination. This

Operational details

More. What if the trains were financed by those who took the plane?

Switzerland is a country with a strong tradition of efficient and reliable trains. However, managing the rail system is a complex and expensive task. Swiss people usually travel by train, but most of them do so only occasionally. To finance the rail system, the Swiss government introduced a tax on petrol and fuel for motor vehicles. But now there is talk of a tax on airlines operating in Switzerland.

According to estimates, the tax would generate about CHF 1.5 billion per year. At least two-thirds of this sum would be redistributed to the population. Every person residing in Switzerland, regardless of whether they fly or not, would receive a voucher worth more than 100 francs every year. This means that an inhabitant of Bellinzona, for example, could receive a voucher of 120 francs per year.

The Swiss government introduced a tax on airlines operating in Switzerland in 2020, with the Federal Air Traffic Act. The tax is calculated based on the number of passengers carried by each airline. Under the law, airlines must pay a fee of 0.5 Swiss francs per passenger. This means that an airline carrying 100,000 passengers per year would have to pay 50,000 Swiss francs.

But how would the tax work if trains were financed by those

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Key points

The airport tax project to finance public transport in Ticino has raised several concerns among residents and visitors to the region. One of the most common criticisms is that the tax is not fair enough, as it does not take into account the fact that tourists leaving Switzerland by plane would pay the tax but not receive any vouchers, thus helping to increase the fund available.

However, there is an alternative solution that could be considered: using airport tax revenues to finance public transport in Ticino, instead of just covering the costs of international train tickets. This approach could be fairer and more efficient, as it would allow local public transport, such as buses and trams, to be funded, rather than just train tickets.

According to federal rules, the airport tax in Switzerland was established in 2017 and has an amount of CHF 19 per passenger. The public transport tax project in Ticino, on the other hand, provides for an amount of CHF 10 per passenger. It is important to note that these figures are subject to revision and may change in the future.

One of the concrete examples of how this approach would work is as follows: if a tourist arrives at Lugano airport and pays the airport tax, the proceeds of this tax could be used to finance local public transport, such as buses and trams.

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Source: tvsvizzera.it