Aargau takes a close look at cultural burdens
The Government Council is committed to the intercantonal equalization of cultural burdens as part of the new financial equalization between the Confederation and the cantons (NFA). However, it is seeking to improve the current cultural burden agreement through negotiations.
According to its press release, the canton of Aargau has been transferring around CHF 5.9 million to the cantons of Zurich and Lucerne since 2010 for the services of supra-regional cultural institutions that are also used by Aargau residents. In its statement on a motion by the Grand Council calling for the withdrawal from the cultural burden sharing agreement, the cantonal government recalls that the cultural burden sharing is part of the NFA, in which the canton of Aargau is one of the recipient cantons.
According to the Federal Act on the Equalization of Finances and Burdens (FiLaG), the cantons are obliged to regulate the equalization of cultural burdens through intercantonal agreements. Similar agreements exist in Eastern Switzerland and between the two cantons of Basel. The cantonal government is committed to the obligations of the canton of Aargau within the framework of the NFA and therefore rejects a withdrawal without replacement, as demanded by the motion.
However, the cantonal government criticizes the lack of a coherent system for equalization across all cantons and the fact that the contributing cantons have no institutionalized say in the factors that influence the chargeable costs.
The intercantonal agreement on cultural burdens stipulates that this can be terminated at the end of each compensation period subject to a notice period of two years. The current compensation period runs from 2016 to 2018, so if the Grand Council were to refer the motion, it would have to be terminated by December 31, 2016.
