Swiss citizens have delivered a decisive verdict in a national referendum, rejecting a proposal to drastically cut funding for public broadcasting. Initial projections indicate that 62% of voters opted to maintain the current licence fee structure for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), dealing a significant defeat to the cost-cutting initiative.
The controversial measure, championed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, sought to reduce the annual household fee from 335 Swiss francs (£320; $435) to just 200 francs (£190; $260), while completely exempting businesses from the contribution. Proponents argued that the existing fee placed an excessive burden on households amid rising living costs, noting that Switzerland’s broadcasting contribution exceeds that of neighboring countries like Austria and Germany.
However, the government and all other parliamentary parties mounted a successful defense of the current funding model. They emphasized that the licence fee is essential for maintaining Switzerland’s unique multilingual broadcasting landscape, ensuring proper representation for all four national languages: French, German, Italian, and Romantsch. Advocates also warned that funding reductions would jeopardize foreign news coverage and sports programming.
In a related development, Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a separate constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to cash. Approximately 70% endorsed the government’s proposal requiring the Swiss National Bank to ensure cash availability, rejecting a more stringent initiative from the ‘Cash is Freedom’ movement that sought explicit constitutional protection for ‘coins and banknotes.’
The broadcasting fee victory comes despite planned gradual reductions already approved by the government, which will lower the contribution to 300 Swiss francs by 2029 while expanding exemptions for certain companies.