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Global Subsidies Initiative
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In Switzerland, as elsewhere, biofuels have attracted particularly high levels of government assistance because of their perceived benefits to the environment. However, a report by the Global Subsidies Initiative — "Biofuels at what cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in Switzerland: 2008 Update" — questions whether subsidies for biofuels are the best way to achieve climate change objectives. The report finds that in 2007 the Swiss federal government spent (or exempted from taxes) around CHF 12 million supporting the production and consumption of biofuels. This number could grow tenfold, to more than one hundred million Swiss francs a year within the coming decade if currently planned expansion of the industry comes to pass. Although biofuels can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, subsidizing biofuels is not a cost-effective means to achieve this goal.
