While everyone here has a right to their opinion, I think it is still premature to assume that this particular initiative will make it through both houses unchanged. The Swiss are overall not stupid and there is a big difference between a small climate tax and a charge like this that would kill GA and close most airfields and that was not the intent of the initiator. One of the green parties that made a big advance is the Green Liberal Party, which is industry-oriented. They are green but not a left wing party. I personally think that this little fee will not make it through scrutiny in the larger house, and certainly not unchanged.
No, this is not played as bashing the wealthy, and that is not popular in Switzerland. As already mentioned, this paragraph‘s initiator intended to extend the new commercial airline ticket tax to non-airline jet operators (e.g. Jet Aviation) which would otherwise not be included. It would probably include operators like @JasonC, but not piston or turboprop operators.
Even before this election, most laws were defined following negotiations and shifting alliances. The will continue, but with a definite green tint.
As a reminder, this one-line addition is onto an omnibus CO2 bill. The CO2 bill will definitely pass, and some aspects that might previously have been challenged or negotiated out will now make it through following the election. I don‘t think the election will impact this element…. cooler heads will prevail.
chflyer wrote:
a charge like this that would kill GA and close most airfields and that was not the intent of the initiator.
Oh yes it was and it is certainly right up the street of the minister of transport, who rejected Minder’s vote not because she thought it wrong but not sufficient as a deterrent!
chflyer wrote:
I personally think that this little fee will not make it through scrutiny in the larger house, and certainly not unchanged.
Even if, as suggested, passenger tax as in the airlines makes it into GA, it is the end of GA. If you fly with your family of 4, you would have to pay at least 120.- CHF (3×40.-) CO2 fee if they do it that way. Per flight. Sorry, that is totally unacceptable. Fees and taxes per flight would then amount to over 200.- CHF. Or if they do change it to a similar tax increase in Avgas, also that will cause massive additional cost.
chflyer wrote:
The CO2 bill will definitely pass, and some aspects that might previously have been challenged or negotiated out will now make it through following the election.
It will pass and it will make Switzerland even more expensive to live and it will deprive the low and middle incomes of the means to travel, let alone to exercise GA. After yesterday, there is no doubt about it. And if I see reactions in the Swiss flight forum, only foreigners are appalled by yesterdays vote, several Swiss pilots are quite happy. So as I said, those who are not have to reckognize that they are now a unwanted minority and take their consequences. If this goes through, MANY people will be forced to either stop living any ressemblence of a normal life and bow to the new messiah or leave for shores where freedom still exists. As reduction of population is a defined goal of the green parties, this will suit them just fine.
From what I read, the greens got 13% of votes in the swiss elections.
I can imagine 13% of people freaking out but those 13% governing seems awkward to me.
I am not saying french politics are better :)
Mooney_Driver wrote:
minister of transport, who rejected Minder’s vote not because she thought it wrong but not sufficient as a deterrent!
That‘s not what‘s in the debate transcript. She didn‘t argue against it because it was insufficient, but rather because other methods such as an additional fuel tax would be more equitable and appropriate.
Jujupilote wrote:
From what I read, the greens got 13% of votes in the swiss elections.
I can imagine 13% of people freaking out but those 13% governing seems awkward to me.
There are two green parties. One got 13.2%, the other one 7.8%. However, they work together with the socialists (16.6%) and one other party (11.4%) which altogether adds up to 50%. In terms of seats (total 200) these 4 parties end up with 108 seats so with a full majority. The conservative parties together end up with 84 seats, with the rest being taken by splinter groups which may be half and half left and right. So in total, the Green/Left are up to aroun 112 seats and the conservative groups with 88.
chflyer wrote:
She didn‘t argue against it because it was insufficient,
She sais:
Inwiefern haben 500 Franken tatsächlich eine Lenkungswirkung? Der Privatflug ist wirklich die absolut teuerste Form, um sich fortzubewegen, und da sind 500 Franken einfach relativ wenig….. Die Pauschale von 500 Franken wird jedenfalls auch der effektiven Umweltbelastung nicht gerecht.
Translated: “How would 500 Francs really have a steering effect? Private flights are the really most expensive form of travelling, therefore 500 francs are relatively few money”. And later: “500 Francs flat fee will not be representative of the effective load on the environment”. Both of these statements clearly say that she feels private flying should be taxed more. Knowing this person’s record, I’d say what she really wants is to tax it out of existence.
She then explains she fears it is too difficult to assess because “Private flights fly without a flight plan”. Which means she clearly includes VFR traffic. In the whole law there is no distinction between non commercial and commercial, no distinction between biz jets (which he names as target) and private aviation.
Minder is on a revenge path as you rightly mentioned. Somaruga is a socialist by principle, well off is evil. Pity she did not become a professional pianist, she is far better at that.
Off_Field wrote:
Is the GA tax played as bashing the wealthy? Is that popular in Switzerland?
We call this an “unholy alliance”. The greens are against anything which moves, they are against humans in particular and regard them as a plague which infests this planet. From there, they will try to ban everything which benefits humans. The socialists are very much happy bashing wealth and anyone better off than workers, however the way they have acted they have lost the workers towards the right in recent elections. They hate success and wealth and regard anyone with more than a minimum wage as a gangster.
I agree with @chflyer. I don’t think this 500 CHF tax will make it until the end for pure private flights, which would really mean the end of GA in Switzerland. It may get trough the Nationalrat for commercial Businessjet flights. Even the initiator himself didn’t know exactly for which part of “GA-flights” this tax should be introduced. He said that the Nationalrat has to clarify. Lets see… I don’t think the Swiss will be so stupid to let the draft pass the Nationalrat unchanged. Yes, the elections brought more “Green” politics in the Swiss parlement, but also all aviation representatives have been reelected. Now its time for the AeCS and AOPA to make work of it…
Mooney_Driver wrote:
And if I see reactions in the Swiss flight forumThe Swiss flight forum is full of “know-it-all” and judgemental people. For me, it is a good example “how to not run a constructive forum”. I really like Swiss people, in fact, I have lots of friends in Switzerland, but that forum is just horrific… Sorry to say.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Well, it’s been nice living here. We have to consider our options now
I always feel that only a tiny % of people who consider moving etc that actually move when the political scene changes to something they strongly dislike (I only personally know of 2 that did so (from the US to the to the UK), and not when Obama got elected 
).
Good & Bad, moving entails leaving a lot of stuff behind, and in the end, most will keep the move as an idea, perhaps easier to say out loud than actually mean.
Well, I have to admit that I’m only 98% in favour of this proposed Swiss eco-tax.
I’m sure we’re all hoping that it will flood the market with cheap Pilatus Porters, turbine Maules, Super Cubs and Fernandez skis, so that poor Scottish farmers can scoop them up with the help of our generous CAP subsidies from the EU from Wolfsburg.
My nagging (2%) fear is that this splendid tax may have little or no net effect. Checking my flying log for the last couple of months I see that I did pay five quid for one of my 40-odd landings, and of course that level of expenditure causes dreadful pain in one’s sporran. But Swiss people are super trustworthy (no green in their flag) and also rich and clever so I’m afraid that if they even notice that their private flying costs an extra 10k CHF a month they will just add 27% and pile it onto our bank account fees and cuckoo clock repair bills…
Please…. tell me it ain’t so…. 
