BERN - A day after the Federal Council sketched a scheme to send tax surpluses to weapons rather than to debt reduction, party finance specialists said they heard a precedent. Defence specialists said they heard a way to buy ammunition in a world that has started using it again. Both were talking about the same briefing pack, including a defence fund later quoted around CHF 24 billion.
Left parties want more of any extra money to go to civil protection and cyber defence. The centre and right say the gaps are in heavy kit and stocks.
September's three piles
The National Council will face the ordinary CHF 3.4 billion budget, the surplus idea, and the fund, as in our autumn preview.