9 billion gone: How Bern plundered the AHV and is now raising your taxes

The federal government has siphoned over 9 billion francs from the AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors' insurance) coffers – VAT revenue that the people explicitly approved for old-age provision in 1993 and which quietly disappeared into the federal budget for two decades. Bern refuses to repay this debt; the proposal was soundly defeated in the Council of States. Instead, a charade is currently unfolding in the Federal Parliament about how to squeeze even more VAT and even more payroll deductions out of citizens for the 13th AHV pension payment. There is certainly enough money available – it just prefers to flow to Kyiv and around the world rather than to Switzerland's own pensioners.

In December, the time will come: the 13th AHV (Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance) pension will be paid out for the first time, up to 2520 francs for single individuals and up to 3,780 francs for married couples per year. The cost: around 4,2 billion francs for 2026 alone, and rising. The electorate approved it in March 2024 with 58,2 percent of the vote. Two years later, no one yet knows how it will be paid – and that's not due to a lack of money, but to a system that is quick to take and paralyzed when it comes to giving back.

How Bern turned a people's "yes" vote into a self-service store
In 1993, the electorate approved a constitutional amendment allowing the value-added tax (VAT) to increase by one percentage point if the old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV) requires additional revenue due to the aging of society. This so-called demographic percentage was introduced in 1999 – and the Federal Council and Parliament promptly implemented it. 17 percent of that goes into the general federal treasury What the constitution promised for old-age provision was henceforth financed the federal budget. Only since 2020 has the demographic percentage flowed entirely into the AHV (Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance). The balance sheet for these two decades is available in black and white in the data portal of the Federal Finance Administration: From 256 million in 1999 to 495 million in 2019, the amount drawn from the pension fund totaled a good 9,1 billion francs. K-Tipp has documented it objectively.The federal treasury owes the AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors' insurance) over 9 billion. The fact that Bern keeps reworking inconvenient referendums until nothing is left is part of the problem. Not a slip-up, but a method.

Repayment? Rejected by 35 to 8
One might think that someone who misappropriates other people's money for two decades would eventually return it. Wrong. As SVP National Councillor Esther Friedli The billions diverted for the AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors' insurance) were reclaimed.The Council of States rejected the proposal. by a vote of 35 to 8.

The debt remains, the debtor shrugs, and simultaneously works on the reform proposal "AHV 2030," which—surprise, surprise— again proposes higher VAT and higher wage contributions . Those who owe money to the federal government have their assets seized. Those who owe money to the people write a consultation statement.

The control screw as the only vision
Meanwhile, the National Council and the Council of States engaged in six fruitless rounds of negotiations regarding the financing of the Thirteenth Pension. The National Council wanted The only measure being implemented is to increase the value-added tax by 0,5 percentage points, temporarily until 2033.The Council of States demanded additional wage percentages. On June 10, the conciliation committee proposed the following compromise: 0,2 percentage points more payroll contributions plus 0,4 percentage points more value added tax, the Council of States gave his approval on June 11thThe National Council will decide on June 17th – and The potential for a crash remainsIf the proposal fails, the pension will be paid out in December without funding. If it passes, the obligatory referendum will follow, complete with a new voting circus. Only one thing is striking: in all scenarios, the taxpayer foots the bill. The possibility that the federal government could first settle its own 9 billion euro debt before demanding payment was never seriously considered in any of the six rounds of discussions.

For the rest of the world, the cash register never jams.
And now for the best part: Money is only tight in Bern when it comes to its own elderly. The federal government has been providing aid to Ukraine since 2022. a good six billion francs loosened up and until 2036 another five billion Firmly planned – the first half billion has just been approved, Non-refundable and directly into a country mired in briberyIn addition, there are new additions every year. approximately 3,8 billion Swiss francs in development aid to Africa and around the world. The funds already allocated to Ukraine would have easily paid off the demographic debt, and the current development aid budget for just one year would almost single-handedly cover the cost of the 13th pension payment. But these funds are sacrosanct. In contrast, when it comes to Swiss pensioners, there's haggling, time limits, caps, and ultimately, an increase in VAT – the very tax that hits the average person hardest because they have to spend their entire income.

The knitting pattern behind the theater
The pattern is always the same, and it's no accident: The state helps itself to citizens' money, distributes it around the globe according to its own priorities, and when its own population demands its constitutionally guaranteed share, a tax increase is sold to them as the solution. Bern steals 9 billion from the old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV), refuses to repay it, and then presents the victims with the bill all over again. Kyiv receives billions as gifts, while Swiss pensioners get the VAT increase. Why bother with thieves when you have a Federal Councillor? The federal government empties the pension fund, squanders tax money in every direction, tightens the tax screws on its own people – and calls this "intergenerational fairness"!