Keystone
In the canton of Aargau, financial aid of CHF 125 million is available for companies severely affected by the corona pandemic. The Grand Council clearly approved the Government Council’s proposal. The money is used according to the hardship criteria of the federal government.
The Grand Council unanimously approved the financial aid at its first meeting after the new election on Tuesday in Spreitenbach. In addition to the 125 million francs for companies, 16.2 million francs are available for financial aid in the cultural sector.
The responsible parliamentary commissions had already authorized the government council in mid-December to release the money early. This made it possible for the companies to already be able to withdraw money.
The bill was undisputed in Parliament. All parties stood behind the million dollar aid – and at the same time expressed concerns and criticism of the government council’s actions. The FDP held that it must be avoided that state-prescribed distortions of competition occur.
SVP criticizes the government
Whole livelihoods went down the stream, it was said at the SVP, which criticized the closure of the shops in Aargau again. Formerly healthy companies got into the crisis through no fault of their own. Therefore, they must be helped.
Not only should companies be helped, but also people and the cohesion of society should be strengthened, demanded the Greens. The SP stated that one had to face the challenges across parties. The help should be spoken quickly and unbureaucratically.
Finding the right level of financial aid is difficult, according to the GLP. Pandemic costs are unlikely to rise excessively. The CVP praised the government council for its actions.
The new economics director Dieter Egli (SP) said that political and financial measures could help to dampen the effects of the pandemic on the economy. The point is that economically healthy companies can survive. Jobs have to be preserved.
The federal government pays
The federal government co-finances the CHF 125 million. According to the government council, the federal government is expected to support Aargau with CHF 68 million. Depending on the number of requests from companies, the government council was ready to increase the cantonal credit.
In June, the Grand Council approved a commitment loan of 150 million francs. The now approved 125 million fall under this loan. By the end of the year, around 25 million francs of the 150 million had been paid out.
The government council relaxed the requirements for entitlement to cantonal hardship measures. The decline in sales must have decreased by 25 percent instead of the initially planned 40 percent. The application and approval process has also been simplified for companies with a turnover of CHF 200,000.
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