HARDNESS CASES – 150 million francs: The Cantonal Council of Zug is increasing the credit line for corona hardship cases – and keeping the government on a short leash

The Zug government council can only increase the corona money by a maximum of 25 million. The Zug cantonal parliament is behind a motion from the FDP parliamentary group and is installing a spending brake on the government. A fast-moving debate.

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What could have been done while the Cantonal Council of Zug was discussing the increase in the Corona hardship loan on Thursday morning? Take the S1 from Rotkreuz to Zug. Watch the early stages of a European Championship game. Or listen to “Stairway To Heaven” one and a half times. Because after a quarter of an hour the matter was through, the canton of Zug increased the loans for the Corona hardship cases from 81.1 to 150 million francs, with 73 to 0 votes against in the final vote by the canton parliament.

SVP: 1 minute, middle: 2 minutes, SP: 2 minutes, FDP: 3 minutes, ALG: nobody was sent forward. Apparently, at their last meeting at the end of May, the council members had debated the business for so long and intensively, working on details and eventualities, that the opinions were made sacrosanct and there was neither time nor desire to engage in argumentative disputes.

Parliament ties the government back

Only: Even if the business gave the impression that it was going smoothly, not everyone was completely happy with the outcome. Namely the Zug government. Because they wanted a free hand to expand the credit line by hand as soon as the federal government increased its contributions. It is well known that federal funds only flow if the cantons participate. And in order to be able to react as flexibly as possible to changes in mood in Bern, the Zug government would have wished for autonomy by the end of the year to discuss further means without consulting the legislature.

Nothing will come of it. With 38 to 32 votes, the parliament approved a motion by the FDP parliamentary group, which gives the government more room for maneuver, but capped it at a maximum of 25 million francs. As a justification, Rainer Leemann (FDP, Zug) said in his three-minute vote, who had already excelled on this question on May 24th:

«We are very satisfied with the work of the government and we trust it. At the same time, we shouldn’t allow automatisms. We are chosen to decide. We shouldn’t make ourselves dependent on another body. “

While SVP parliamentary group leader Philip C. Brunner – in order to “not lose too many words” – said little more than that the SVP supported the FDP’s proposal, SP parliamentary group leader Alois Gössi (Baar) voted against it. Firstly, it is likely that the government would be able to get by with the 150 million francs in the face of the subsiding pandemic. Second, one does not want to «change the rules in a running game». And thirdly, it would take a long time if the federal government, contrary to expectations, had to increase its funds again and the canton of Zug had to follow suit. In other words, it would take a government motion, commission work, a first and a second reading and waiting for the referendum deadline. The Social Democrats did not want that.

The middle also waved against the proposal

On the same line was the middle, whose spokesman Pirmin Andermatt (Baar) dismissed the proposal as a “counterproductive” proposal, which should be rejected.

The parliament granted neither Andermatt nor the government their wish, stood behind the FDP, while Council President Esther Haas (ALG, Cham) drew a line under the topic at 8:57 am: “This is the end of this business for the Cantonal Council.”