Banks benefit from the incentive tax

The Swiss bankers Association is not liable the Image is to be particularly progressive. So farewell to the Bank customer secrecy was exceedingly difficult. Even more surprising, the recent Statements of the new Executive Director of the Association, Jörg Gasser to appear here. In an Interview with this newspaper he's holding to a steering duties, which increase the cost of energy consumption, for "unavoidable". His industry, he also calls, "the medium to long term" from the financing of CO2-intensive businesses out.

As is in the case of the Swiss banks? A sample shows that the Institute Gassers course in principle support, even if here and there the nuances are clear.

"incentive taxes are, in principle, to be welcomed."Spokeswoman for Credit Suisse

Fully behind Gassers climate course, the big Bank Credit Suisse are for that . It also supports taxes on his demand of the Environment. "Incentive taxes, as economic instruments, are in principle to be welcomed and preferable to be Prohibited," says a Bank spokeswoman.

The local rival, UBS to contributions of CO2, no in-house opinion. The Bank shall, generally, "to support the statements of the Swiss bankers Association on the topic of Transition to a CO2-poor economy". Similar to the sounds of the Zürcher Kantonalbank, the largest cantonal Bank, Switzerland. It stresses that "a system of incentives must be set so that the economy lowers the CO2 as quickly as possible, without a shock".

Say, the financial industry has with the Instrument of steering taxes to increase the price of energy with little problems. The reason is simple, such as a Bank representative admits behind his Hand: "banks get out of the current CO2 levy on fuels, more money back than they pay."

money for Foundation

Since 2008, a CO2 levy on fuels such as heating oil and natural gas. Two-thirds of which are independent of the consumption of the population and the enterprises-refundable. The levy is for 2018 in the case of 96 francs per Tonne of CO2, a total of about 1.1 billion Swiss francs per year to come together.

especially in large service companies to get more refunded than you pay in. Therefore, companies such as, among others, Raiffeisen, Swiss Re or the software company SAP have founded the Swiss climate Foundation to life. The participating companies pay their rebates from the CO2 levy in the Foundation, small and medium-sized enterprises supported, which make a contribution to climate protection.

Lack of Standards for disclosure of

banks, two lever, to make their contribution to climate protection have to create about lending and how the Bank customers of their money. UBS and Credit Suisse point out that you are one of those 130 banks, which have signed the United Nations principles for responsible banking business. These banks agree, among other things, with their business policy, the objectives of the Paris climate agreement to be reached. According to UBS, the big Bank has driven in the past year, the financing of climate-damaging companies already around 60 percent.

"The big Problem is that there is currently no international Standard, such as the CO2 footprint must be measured and disclosed," says a spokeswoman for Credit Suisse. With the "Paris Agreement Capital Transition Assessment," there is an international project to develop a rating instrument.

Greenpeace does not see the supervision of a duty

Greenpeace is skeptical: "Swiss banks are at this point effectively is still very far", says Greenpeace-a financial expert Peter Haber stitch. "We see the regulatory authorities in the duty," the supervision of Finma and the Swiss Central Bank would have to commit to banks in their climate risks to be disclosed.

With a view to the deposits of the customers the bankers ' Association is currently working on criteria such as customer advice, the topic addressed should be. Should be open, according to the bankers Association, whether the adviser should actively put customers climate-friendly plants to the heart, or whether customers are initially sensitized for the topic. Bank Association chief Jörg Gasser pushes the Tempo: The consultation criteria should be at the end of March.

Created: 02.12.2019, 19:31 PM