Canton's contribution to National Equalisation Fund to rise by CHF 17 million

The Federal Department of Finance has announced the definitive amounts contributing cantons will have to pay, and the amounts benefiting cantons will receive, with respect to the National Equalisation Fund (NFA) next year.
Zug is expected to pay CHF 329,430,000, which means CHF 17 million more than this year. This figure is second highest amount of all cantons, after Zurich at CHF 487,176,000.

The canton paying the third highest amount is Geneva at CHF 299,804,000, with the canton of Schwyz expected to pay CHF 199,385,000. The City of Basel is to contribute CHF125,030,000, Nidwalden CHF 45,435,000 and Obwalden CHF 7,536,000. The total sum to be paid by the afore-mentioned cantons amounts, therefore, to CHF 5.2 billion, CHF 132 million more than in 2018.

All the remaining cantons will benefit to varying degrees. The canton of Bern will receive the most at CHF 1,187,023,000, i.e. more than CHF 1 billion, though this is CHF 85 million less than in 2018. This is the equivalent of every person in the canton there receiving CHF 1,172, albeit CHF 95 less than this year. The canton of Rural Basel will receive the least from the NFA at CHF 12,611,000.

When Zug’s contribution is divided per head of population it means each person resident in the canton is paying CHF 2,727, the highest per-capita figure of all cantons.

As previously reported, a new system of working out the amounts donating cantons contribute and benefiting cantons receive is to be introduced in 2020 and this should then lessen Zug’s burden. This is one area of the canton’s outgoings over which the cantonal director of finance exerts no power.