Parliament targets red tape for businesses

The government is facing calls by parliament to reduce the administrative burden for businesses struggling to cope with strong Swiss franc. The House of Representatives approved a series of proposals aimed at limiting the number of legal requirements for companies and exempting firms with fewer than 50 employees from providing statistical data to the authorities. However, the other parliamentary chamber, the Senate, still has to agree to the motions. Wednesday’s debate pitted the political parties to the right and the centre against the left, which failed to find a majority for its proposals to prop up the Swiss economy and to tackle the risk of increased unemployment. The Social Democrats and the Greens called for additional funds to boost innovation and to protect older employees from losing their jobs. Prospects Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann said he shared concerns about de-industrialisation in Switzerland and an economic downturn. He called on ...