瑞士社会事务部长为增值税上调方案辩护 第13个月养老金12月首发
瑞士联邦委员、社会事务部长伊丽莎白·鲍姆-施耐德（Elisabeth Baume-Schneider）10月10日为政府提出的融资方案辩护：通过提高增值税税率，为新增的“第13个月”国家养老金（AHV）提供资金。该议题将于11月29日付诸全民公投。
瑞士选民已在2024年3月的一次公投中批准设立第13个月养老金，即在现有每年12笔养老金之外再增加一笔。按照安排，第13笔养老金将于2026年12月首次发放。如何为这笔新增支出筹资，成为伯尔尼过去一年多的核心财政议题。
鲍姆-施耐德表示，增值税方案能让养老金的资金来源更可持续；反对者则担忧上调消费税将加重普通家庭的生活成本，并主张改用提高工资缴款等其他方式筹资。瑞士国家养老金实行现收现付制，人口老龄化令其长期财务平衡承压。
11月29日是瑞士今年最后一个联邦投票日，除养老金融资外，当天还将表决其他多项议题。民调显示，养老金议题在各年龄层选民中关注度均居前列。
来源：swissinfo.ch 10月10日报道及 The Local 解读。
Swiss Minister Defends VAT Rise to Fund 13th Monthly Pension Payment
Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Switzerland's social affairs minister, defended the government's financing plan on 10 October: raising value-added tax to pay for the new 13th monthly state pension (AHV) payment. The proposal goes to a popular vote on 29 November.
Swiss voters approved the creation of a 13th monthly pension payment in a referendum in March 2024, adding an extra payment on top of the existing twelve. The first 13th payment is scheduled to be made in December 2026. How to finance the additional outlay has been a central fiscal question in Bern for more than a year.
Baume-Schneider argues that the VAT route puts pension funding on a more sustainable footing. Critics warn that higher consumption taxes raise living costs for ordinary households and favour alternatives such as higher payroll contributions. Switzerland's state pension operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, and population ageing is straining its long-term finances.
29 November is Switzerland's final federal voting day of the year, with several other proposals also on the ballot. Polling suggests the pension question ranks among the issues voters care about most across age groups.
Sources: swissinfo.ch reporting of 10 October and analysis by The Local.
图片来源：图片来源：Flooffy / Wikimedia Commons（CC BY 2.0）
