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Question: How is the financial statistics data collected and how are the individual positions defined?

Answer:
The rise in the cost of petrol to CHF 5 per litre which is currently being put about by the media is simply not correct. Based on the high risks associated with nuclear power plants, the Federal Council has decided to phase out nuclear energy. At the same time, the current climate targets are to be pursued. This combination will help reduce the uncovered costs of energy production and energy consumption. Parliament has confirmed this decision.

We believe a green tax reform is necessary in order to achieve these energy objectives in a cost-effective manner. It would be virtually impossible to meet the energy targets without an increase in energy prices. And yet, energy prices can only truly be assessed when associated with reimbursements: while households indeed pay more for energy, they get money back via their health insurer or in the form of tax credits, for example. So it is wrong to consider fuel price increases in isolation, as the burden on households would remain the same overall, despite higher petrol prices.

We are currently developing various models in order to illustrate the implications of the different variants. The basic scenarios under consideration assume an energy tax on fuel of between 50 and 273 centimes per litre in 2050. The petrol price increase that is being put about by the media is thus a worst-case scenario that is highly ambitious and not very likely to happen. The introduction of the tax is largely dependent on international coordination and harmonisation of energy and climate policies.

We must also bear in mind that the time between now and 2050 – a period of almost 40 years – is riddled with uncertainty, so it is impossible to make precise statements or estimates about what will be. The energy tax that will ultimately be required depends to a great extent on the evolution of energy prices and above all on technological developments. New technological breakthroughs might well lead to a significantly lower tax. The amount of the tax also stems from the fact that in this model simulation all of the energy and climate targets are attained with the tax alone, whereas in reality a variety of instruments is used, which would lead to a lower tax requirement.

Furthermore, 40 years from now incomes, salaries and pensions will have risen, so seen as a percentage of household expenditure, the (currently unrealistic) petrol price of CHF 5 per litre would have quite a different significance and therefore cannot be compared with today's prices. For the Federal Council, it is very important that a reform of this kind takes place in society. You can therefore rest assured that the effects of energy price increases combined with redistribution to different income groups and social strata will play a most significant part in our investigations.

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Link:
- Green tax reform

Overview