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Swiss federal ministers are giving up their free annual ski passes worth around $4,000.
Switzerland recently voted in favor of a referendum for greater social welfare that was opposed by the majority right-wing coalition government, which warned against the roughly $5 billion cost.
Social media posts noted that government officials received perks like $200,000 pensions and, notably, free ski lift passes for Swiss slopes every year.
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In 2022, one minister defended the passes as “a working tool,” saying, “I have a great many meetings with business leaders and mayors on the slopes.” This did not wash, Le Monde’s Geneva correspondent reported, and eight senior government figures have given them up.
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