In a national referendum on Sunday, a majority of Swiss citizens voted in favor of two initiatives: one would require streaming services to devote 4% of their annual revenue to supporting the Swiss film industry, and the other would increase the country’s contribution to funding the European External Borders Protection Agency (Frontex).

The initiative to impose a « Netflix tax » was supported by 58.42 percent of Swiss citizens, while 41.58 percent opposed it.

Although Swiss broadcasters already provide 4% of their income to the local film industry, streaming firms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney have yet to pay the tax. The administration and parliament had previously urged that the proposal be passed, but opponents worried that it would raise the cost of streaming service subscriptions.

71.48 percent of Swiss residents voted in favor of increasing the yearly payment to Frontex from $24 million to $61 million, while 28.52 percent voted against it. The country’s authorities, who had advised that the idea be supported, had previously stated that failure to pay the charge could result in the country’s exclusion from the Schengen Agreement.

source: swissinfo.ch