AWG sees confirmation of canton of Lucerne’s tax policy
Lucerne - The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Kanton Luzern (AWG) attributes the sharp increase in tax revenue from legal entities to the long-disputed revision to the tax law on capital-intensive companies. It has now generated a record surplus for the canton.
According to a press release from the AWG (working group for economy and society in the canton of Lucerne), the cantonal parliament of Lucerne will gladly approve the record-high tax surplus from the state accounts for 2023 in its May session. It attributes this to the revision of the tax law for legal entities introduced around ten years ago.
It has drawn a lot of criticism over the years, but now the time for negativity is said to be over. According to the AWG: «The civil fiscal strategy for legal entities has attracted many negative headlines, but in the end, it has worked out.» President of the AWG Josef Wyss commented that tax revenue from legal entities has risen sharply in recent years and above all was greater in the fiscal year 2023 than that of natural persons.
Martin Zemp, tax expert and member of the board of AWG, stated: «It is a fact, whether you want to hear it or not. You can count on one hand the companies that generate the lion’s share of the tax revenue from legal entities.» There is a need to take care of these companies in the canton of Lucerne «without ignoring the fact that SMEs form the backbone of the national economy.»
The plan is now to stand at the referendum on the planned tax revision on September 22, 2024 as well. Zemp commented: «From an economic point of view, not all requirements have been met, but we can ultimately live with that.» He added that it is key to now see the bigger picture. A no would be «fatal and not constructive.»
