In the canton of Aargau, hardship aid for companies will be significantly expanded during the corona pandemic.
On Tuesday, at the request of the government council, the Grand Council increased the loan by CHF 325 million to CHF 450 million. 60 million francs have been paid out so far.
The decision was made unanimously at the meeting in Spreitenbach AG. All parties spoke out in favor of the increase. “Help is needed,” said an FDP spokesman. The previous measures have proven their worth, but it now needs to be improved. Ultimately, however, the federal funds would also have to be repaid through tax revenue.
A center spokesman pointed out that the risk of bankruptcies and unemployment must be reduced. At first glance, the 450 million francs would sound like a lot of money. The canton itself has to pay 111 million francs, because most of the money comes from the federal government.
An SVP spokesman stated that the situation of many companies was gloomy and uncertain. It is important that the companies concerned can work normally again as soon as possible. The parliamentary group was united in support of the government council’s motion.
The help must reach the company quickly, said an SP spokesman. A GLP spokesman stated that the state and the companies had to bear a common risk. However, no structure maintenance should be pursued.
Perspective for companies
The responsible government councilor Dieter Egli (SP) said that we are unfortunately still in a “historical situation”. Security is needed for companies in Aargau. You should get perspective.
So far, 2,500 applications have been submitted, Egli announced. Of these, 1,700 applications were approved and 550 applications were rejected. According to Egli, 60 million francs were paid out. In addition, loan guarantees were given for CHF 12 million.
Fixed cost contributions for suppliers
The increased aid is about fixed cost contributions for companies with high sales losses and companies closed by the authorities. Companies with a high loss of sales of at least 40 percent can now also make use of fixed cost contributions. The government council decided that the industry-standard fixed costs will be covered over a period of twelve months.
The maximum contribution per company is still a maximum of 20 percent of the average annual turnover in 2018/2019 and a maximum of CHF 750,000. With this measure, companies from the travel, event and fairground sectors in particular can hope for financial support in the canton.
This support goes beyond federal requirements and is therefore financed by the canton alone. The help is intended primarily for suppliers and service providers of catering businesses.
The responsible commissions had already approved the additional loan in advance. Therefore, the corresponding special ordinance has been in force since March 23. Politicians have already taken this route with the previous Corona loans in order to save time. (sda / npa)
– .
