There are decisions that commit a country for a generation - and others that silently betray it. In the space of just a few weeks, a Federal Councillor who was previously unknown to the general public has achieved the feat of combining a massive tax increase, a deliberate circumvention of the debt brake and a strategic alignment without democratic debate, all in the name of a \u00abdefence\u00bb that has never been clearly defined. Behind the veneer of security, a shift with far-reaching consequences for Switzerland's sovereignty, neutrality and institutional credibility is at stake. Here's why this budgetary operation is anything but harmless - and why it must be deconstructed point by point.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The AGEFI editorial of 29 January 2026 does more than just point out a budgetary inconsistency. It reveals, almost in spite of itself, a much more serious problem: the arrival at the heart of the Swiss defence system of a Federal Councillor with no strategic roots, no military vision and clearly no respect for the institutional safeguards that underpin the Confederation's credibility.<\/p>\n
Because the first major measure taken by Martin Pfister<\/strong>, The DDPS is neither a defence doctrine, nor a reform of the militia army, nor a plan to strengthen strategic autonomy. It is a opaque financial arrangements<\/strong>, worthy of the worst European technocratic reflexes.<\/p>\n The figure is stark: +0.8 point of VAT from 2028<\/strong>, or approximately 30 billion francs over ten years<\/strong> levied directly on the population. A VAT that hits households, families, SMEs and basic consumption indiscriminately. In other words: the most regressive tax to finance a department that is supposed to embody the protection of the country.<\/p>\n And the admission is even more chilling. Martin Pfister himself admits that all the options examined were revenue increases<\/strong>. No structural reforms. No prioritisation. No questioning of existing spending. The message is crystal clear: the federal apparatus is untouchable, the citizen is the adjustment variable.<\/p>\n But the most serious issue is not VAT. It's the special off-budget fund<\/strong>, designed to absorb two-thirds of revenue<\/strong>, or 2 billion per year<\/strong>, with a borrowing capacity of up to 6 billion a year<\/strong>, outside the scope of the debt brake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This mechanism is not a technical detail. It is a major institutional break<\/strong>. The debt brake is not an accounting rule: it is a contract of trust between the Confederation and the Swiss people, accepted by popular vote.<\/p>\n And now for the ultimate irony, on 20 January 2026, the Federal Council again rejected any exceptions to the debt brake<\/strong>, in particular through the voice of\u2019Albert R\u00f6sti<\/strong>, using the army as an example of a possible aberration. A week later, Martin Pfister is doing exactly what was denounced. This is no longer an inconsistency: it's a denial.<\/p>\n This financial tinkering is part of a clear political trajectory: NATO rapprochement<\/strong>, gradual dilution of neutrality, and silent dismantling of the militia army<\/strong> to a project-based army, dependent on external standards, procurement and chains of command.<\/p>\n You cannot strengthen Swiss defence by financing it through off-balance sheet gimmicks. You don't protect the population by weakening budgetary discipline. And you don't talk about sovereignty by copying the worst recipes of European indebtedness.<\/p>\n The AGEFI editorial talks of an \u2019aberration\u00ab. The word is right, but not enough. What this dossier reveals is a head of department who starts by bending the rules before even defining a strategy<\/strong>, which is raising taxes before reforming the military, and which is weakening Switzerland's institutional foundations in the name of imported \u201csecurity\u201d.<\/p>\n National defence deserves better than an unknown man in a hurry to raise taxes and hide the debt. It demands clarity, consistency and political courage.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n By seeking to finance defence through VAT and off-balance sheet funds, Martin Pfister is not strengthening Switzerland's security: it weakens budgetary sovereignty, betrays the spirit of the debt brake and accelerates the country's strategic alignment without democratic debate<\/strong>. An army without a doctrine, financed by an accounting illusion, is not a strong army. It is the symptom of a government that confuses protecting the country with technocratic headlong rush.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Il y a des d\u00e9cisions qui engagent un pays pour une g\u00e9n\u00e9ration \u2014 et d\u2019autres qui le trahissent en silence. En quelques semaines \u00e0 peine, un conseiller f\u00e9d\u00e9ral jusque-l\u00e0 inconnu du grand public a r\u00e9ussi l\u2019exploit de cumuler hausse massive d\u2019imp\u00f4ts, contournement assum\u00e9 du frein \u00e0 l\u2019endettement et alignement strat\u00e9gique sans d\u00e9bat d\u00e9mocratique, le tout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politique-interieure","category-ue"],"yoast_head":"\nA tax increase as an admission of political failure<\/h3>\n
The off-balance sheet fund: sabotaging the debt brake<\/h3>\n
Rearmament without sovereignty: the Atlanticist drift<\/h3>\n
A head of the DDPS with no vision, but with the cash register<\/h3>\n