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![If the situation worsens, Federal Councilor Alain Berset wants a store lockdown again.]()
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If the situation worsens, Federal Councilor Alain Berset wants a store lockdown again.
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![The proposal met with criticism from the majority of the requested cantons. The national economic commission also opposes this.]()
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The proposal met with criticism from the majority of the requested cantons. The national economic commission also opposes this.
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![According to reports, SVP parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi has introduced various motions against further tightening in the economic commission.]()
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According to reports, SVP parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi has introduced various motions against further tightening in the economic commission.
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keystone-sda.ch
![The relaxation of the hardship case regulation is well on the way. Anyone who has to close their company for at least 60 days by order of the authorities is generally considered a case of hardship.]()
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The relaxation of the hardship case regulation is well on the way. Anyone who has to close their company for at least 60 days by order of the authorities is generally considered a case of hardship.
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![The Federal Council will make its decisions on Wednesday.]()
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The Federal Council will make its decisions on Wednesday.
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The resistance to new corona tightening is increasing. The majority of the cantons reject a store lockdown and are also skeptical about the obligation to work from home. But now the national economic commission is opposed to further tightening, as several sources confirm to VIEW.
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According to reports, SVP parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi (41) has tabled several motions against further tightening measures. And a majority followed him. In a letter to the Federal Council, the Economic Commission calls for a shop lockdown (with 12 to 11 votes) and a home office obligation (with 12 to 10 votes) to be dispensed with. The same applies to a general mask requirement in companies (11 to 9 votes). And the bourgeois majority does not want to know anything about a mandatory two-household rule for private meetings – this proposal passed with 12 to 7 votes.
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The commission attaches great importance to the fact that such tightening “is only imposed depending on the actual epidemiological situation and not as a precaution”, the letter said.
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Instead, economic politicians are calling for the current measures to be extended until the end of February.
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The resistance is likely to meet with open ears from some federal councilors. The store lockdown could fail because of the four SVP / FDP federal councilors, according to Bundesbern. The duty to work from home also remains controversial in the government. In addition, better protection for vulnerable employees is also on the brink. But the race is not over yet. So Berset has often managed to convince his Bundesrats-Gspänli of tightening the last few meters. The wires are still hot in the federal administration.
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Even greater easing of hardship cases
Finance Minister Ueli Maurer (70), on the other hand, can go to the Federal Council meeting quite easily. In view of the foreseeable extension of the current partial lockdown to the end of February, the hardship case regulation is also to be relaxed so that more troubled companies can benefit from support funds.
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In principle, his proposals meet with broad approval – and are even being improved. In the draft of the new hardship ordinance, which BLICK has, various points are adjusted.
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The easing of the eligibility requirements is practically undisputed: Anyone who has had to close “more than 60 calendar days” since November due to official measures is automatically considered a case of hardship and should be able to receive support payments in a simplified manner. In these cases you no longer have to prove the decline in sales. This opens the way for industry solutions such as pickling or fitness centers.
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Higher A-fund perdu contributions
Higher A-fonds-perdu contributions should also be possible – Maurer wants to increase the upper limit in certain cases from 10 to 20 percent of sales. The Economic Commission wants to go one step further. A-fonds-perdu contributions of a maximum of 30 percent of sales should be possible for all hardship companies. According to reports, the commission said yes with 13 to 10 votes to a corresponding motion by the Greens National Councilor Regula Rytz (58, BE).
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Those companies, on the other hand, that are not affected by a longer period of forced closure, but are nevertheless affected by major losses, are generally entitled to hardship payments if their sales decline is more than 40 percent. According to Maurer, the calendar year 2020 does not simply apply, but a rolling calculation. For example, a time frame from April 2020 to March 2021 can be used to calculate sales. This is to take better account of the now longer-lasting partial lockdown. Here, too, Rytz came through with an additional proposal – with 14 to 7 votes – which provides for an exception: In the case of high fixed costs, the 40 percent hurdle can be dispensed with.
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And finally, the Greens got through with 15 to 7 votes with another proposal: The support for companies that are particularly economically affected by the consequences of the corona and represent a hardship should be put on a new basis from January 2021. Instead of loans, sureties and guarantees or A-fonds-perdu contributions linked to sales, from January 1, 2021, documented and uncovered fixed costs will be compensated directly.
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Whether the Federal Council will accept the proposals will be decided on Wednesday.
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Cantons want new Covid loans
The easing of hardship cases by the Federal Council is largely supported by the cantonal finance and economics directors.
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In their statement to Federal Councilor Maurer, which is also available to VIEW, they also demand a new edition of the Covid loans. This should “be taken quickly by hand in the sense of contingency planning so that it can be decided and implemented immediately and immediately if necessary”.
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Published: 01/12/2021, 39 minutes ago-Last updated: January 12, 2021, 7 minutes ago–Related posts:
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