By Helena Bachmann
Even though nearly 77 percent of voters rejected a similar proposal in 2016 in a national referendum, the majority of Bern’s city council has given this idea a thumbs-up.
While the exact amount of pay was not determined, the left-wing majority has approved the 9-million-franc test project, even though city coffers are short of funds and the municipal debt will soon reach 1.7 billion.
However, those in favour are counting on the financial equalisation — that is, the system of redistributing taxes between the cantons — to pay for this UBI project.
‘Utopian project’
The approval of the UBI has unleashed criticism from the right.
“Bern, the city of civil servants, is becoming more and more ideologically left-wing and now wants to spread money to the four winds,” said Thomas Aeaschi, the leader of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) fraction in the National Council.
Even the more moderate deputies are against the idea.
Reto Nause, from the Centre party fears that the “utopian UBI project” will attract low-income residents to move to Bern, pushing finances even further into the red.
However, MP Ursula Zybach from the Social Democratic Party pointed out that support through financial equalisation is justifiable.
She added that the cost of the pilot project in Bern is manageable, as it represents “less than one percent of the city’s budgeted expenditure.”
In 2022, and 2023, citizens of Zurich and Lucerne rejected similar projects in their municipalities, deciding the idea was not realistic or sustainable.
