Zurich, Feb. 13 (BNA): Voters in Switzerland will decide on Sunday whether to become the first country to ban animal testing in a referendum that will also consider tightening controls on cigarette advertising.
Activists who want to end all experiments on mice, rats and other animals have collected enough signatures to hold the vote under the Swiss system of direct democracy, facing strong opposition from the country’s huge pharmaceutical sector.
The industry, which includes heavyweight companies Roche and Novartis, says such research is needed to develop new drugs.
Supporters of banning animal testing, which government data shows killed more than 500,000 animals in Swiss laboratories in 2020, said the practice is ethically wrong and unnecessary.
The latest poll showed that 68% of respondents oppose the proposed ban, indicating that it is unlikely to be approved.
A proposal to impose more restrictions on tobacco advertising is likely to pass, with 63% of people supporting it.
The answers of the voters will be binding on the government, which will then decide how to implement the proposals.
The anti-tobacco campaign, which needs support from the majority of cantons and voters to pass, wants to extend existing restrictions on advertising to cover ads anywhere young people can see them.
This would include banning advertising in newspapers, cinemas, the Internet, at events and on billboards, where supporters say such ads encourage young people to smoke.
The government says the proposed campaign goes too far, and has come up with counter-proposals that would reduce advertising further but still allow it in newspapers, stores and online.
A decision was also made on Sunday on a government proposal to scrap a 1% tax on shares a company raises, a measure it says will reduce investment costs and support economic growth.
Opponents say the abolition of the tax, which collects about 250 million Swiss francs ($270 million) a year, will mainly benefit large companies, leaving individual taxpayers to make up the shortfall.
Financial support for the Swiss media is the last issue voters will consider on Sunday. The government wants to avoid closing more local newspapers and radio stations by giving an aid package of 151 million francs.
With slogans on posters reading “No taxpayer money for media billionaires,” opponents said the proposal would be a waste of public money and could threaten media independence.
The vote could go either way, with 49% against and 46% in favour, according to the latest poll data published by Swiss radio SRG.
HF