How the Zugerin of the crisis defies in the Vaud

Valérie Dittli has been under fire for weeks. The government council disempowered her colleague and withdrawn her finances. Now the 32-year-old center politician reveals where she fuels strength and how she sees her future role in Waudländer politics.

The sky blue, the lake peaceful, the French Alps covered snow: the view from Valérie Dittli’s office in downtown Lausanne is splendid. The contrast to the turbulence of the past few weeks could not be greater.

The Vaud State Council has withdrawn the financial department for the middle politician-after the conflict with the head of the tax department had escalated and there had been illness-related failures. A report by the former SP state council Jean Studer accuses Dittli Committed to the official secrecy and to have requested the cancellation of issued tax assessments of wealthy residentsthat had to make unexpectedly high taxes after a reform.

Meanwhile, Dittli and her government colleagues have taken one step together and agreed on the new department distribution. Before the interview, the native of Zug makes clear: she wants to look ahead.

Her sister Laura Dittli is a government councilor in the canton of Zug. Have you often thought in the past few weeks: « I would like to exchange with her »?

Valérie Dittli: Never at all. But I often exchange myself with her. Laura has been one of my most important supports in the past few weeks. Especially in the past time, which was not easy, she called me and said: « Head up, it is fine. » She understands very well what is going on and what I need.

You have no faction in your back. How problematic is this missing domestic power?

It makes me politically relatively easy to do. But I can work well with all parties. I have often succeeded in organizing majorities for important projects, for example in the field of agriculture, even though I had the whole FDP against me.

Are you too free for the FDP?

I would say it: As the original Zugerin, I come from a liberal environment. The FDP in the canton of Vaud is very broad. On certain questions, for example with taxes, I probably politicize more liberal than certain FDPlers. I attach great importance to personal responsibility, especially when it comes to creating tax incentives and promoting individual decisions. Although I want to hold on: the Allianz Mitte-FDP-SVP (with which Dittli 2022 was elected to the government, editor of the R.) has been committed to tax cuts. This is a clear mission of the people.

The wealth tax brake plays an important role in the affair. Did FDP man Pascal Broulis, meanwhile, leave you a failed reform?

It is not up to me to evaluate the work of my predecessor.

What kind of situation did you find in the financial department?

I found that numerous complaints were received because those affected were taxed more than under the old regime. This is about high -mobile taxpayers: when the CEO of a prestigious company knocks on 1000 employees and says that a move to Zurich is in the room, then the canton of Vaud has a problem. I tried to keep the tax substrate here. I don’t want the canton to cut services, and we need income. That’s why I wanted to find solutions for this specific problem.

In retrospect, would you proceed in every way?

Of course I also made mistakes how everyone does. I wanted to solve problems and did not always take into account all individual sensitivity. Without wanting it, I have overwhelmed some people. I also underestimated how important it is to build a strong, mutual trust in the officials. As a person, I bring a great advance trust in other people and attach great importance to loyalty. I had to learn that this is not always mutually. This is a normal process. I am 32 and cannot fall back on thirty years of management experience.

Speaking of age: Are you afraid that your desavouage will deter other young people from getting into politics?

I actually got a lot of news from young people. Many said from my environment: I never wanted to hear anything about politics, and that now applies even more. That gives me a lot to think. But it also motivates me.

To what extent?

I am convinced that as a young generation we have to change things. We have to have a different way of dialogue in politics than in the past few decades. In view of the challenges of our time, we cannot afford to politicize destructively. More than ever, I want to encourage young people to become active, to take responsibility – and not to be put off.

This week there were newspaper reports that the FDP still owe the FDP 20,000 francs for the 2022 election campaign. You would have agreed verbally after the successful election. Why was the claim not paid for so long by you or your party?

Until recently, I was not aware that this claim was still open, and the contribution was never agreed verbally. The claim appeared after the elections after the agreed amount of CHF 15,000 was paid. For me it was a matter of the party. The party did not want to enter without an agreement.

In order to complete the matter pragmatically, I decided to pay the amount personally. I would like to make sure that we can concentrate on the important political challenges that are in the interest of the canton of Vaud and its citizens.