22 October 2013. In its tax dispute with western governments, Switzerland is under constant fire. In this public lecture series on "The economy and the law in simple terms – tax state vs. debt state", HSG professors will examine the role of the state in years of crisis. Fearing that companies and high-income citizens will emigrate, governments refrain from raising tax rates but at the same time print money to devalue their debts through inflation.The classic tax state becomes a debt state.

A field of tension of international interests

On 29 October Prof. Dr. Monika Bütler, Professor of Economics, will devote her lecture to the Swiss social insurance system under the heading of "Well-hidden debts: social insurance system in a crisis". On 5 November, Prof. em. Dr. Rainer Schweizer, Emeritus Professor of Public Law including European and International Law, will answer the question, "How does the government handle money?" On 12 November, Prof. Dr. Robert Waldburger, Professor of Fiscal Law, will shed light on international aspects of the problem and speak on "The tax state Switzerland in the field of tension of international interests".

Education spending: cost and benefit
On 19 November Prof. Dr. Mark Schelker, Assistant Professor of Economics, will look back and speak about "The interaction between regulation and fiscal policies: the Swiss cantons from 1910 to 2010". "States and financial markets: the sustainability of government debt" will be the topic of Prof. Dr. Christian Keuschnigg, Professor of Economics/Public Finance. His lecture will take place on 26 November. On 3 December Prof. em. Dr. Rolf Dubs, Emeritus Professor of Business Education, will focus on the impact of the debt crisis on our educational system and compare "Educational spending in the context of the national budget: cost and benefit".

The lectures will take place in Room HSG 01-014 and begin on Tuesdays at 6.15 p.m.

Photo: kallejipp / Photocase