Total Social Security Accounts

Last updated

The Total Social Security Accounts are a synthesis statistic used in Switzerland to gauge expenditures and their financing in social security.

Contents

These accounts are compiled from statistical sources such as the profit and loss accounts of social insurances, the Public Finance Statistics [EFS], and the Swiss Social Insurance Statistics [SVS],

Description

On the expenditure side, the Total Social Security Accounts focus on social benefits and on the revenue side on employers' social security contributions, individual compulsory health insurance premiums, public funding and investment income. Figuratively speaking, the Total Social Security Accounts consist of a sub-structure and a superstructure, with the sub-structure comprising the absolute value of the revenues and expenditures and the superstructure the indicators into which the absolute values can be processed.

The Total Social Security Accounts are internationally comparable, as they are based on the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS [1] ) developed by Eurostat.

In 2007, total expenditure on social security in Switzerland rose to CHF 142.4 billion (2006: CHF 137.2 billion). Revenues in 2007 amounted to CHF 167.29 billion. In 2008, total expenditure amounted to CHF 143.6 billion and revenues to CHF 154.18 billion. [2]

The legal bases of the Total Social Security Accounts are the National Council's Postulate of the Committee for Social Security and Health of 17 February 1995 and Art 10, Para. 2 of the Federal Statistics Act of 9 October 1992. [3]

Type of survey

In Switzerland, the first attempts to arrive at an overall picture of the finances of social security go back to the 1970s and 1980s. A direct forerunner of today's synthetic statistic was the "Social Budget of Switzerland", which P. Gilliand and S. Rossini developed for the years 1990 and 1993 as part of the National Science Foundation's "Changing Ways of Life and Social Security" project. Methodologically, this work was based on the ESSPROS which was applicable at the time.

In 1995, S. Greppi updated the "Social Budget of Switzerland". The following year, Eurostat published a new ESSPROS. As far as the comparability of the Swiss Total Social Security Accounts with the total social security accounts of EU countries is concerned, the FSO adopted the methodological guidelines of this new manual without making any changes. Benefits that are not taken account of in the ESSPROS concept are calculated and reported separately.

Features registered

Data on social security finances for the whole of Switzerland, broken down by institutions (old-age, disability insurance, etc.) are treated and expressed in CHF millions.

For the time being, Total Social Security Account values can only be shown at national level. But available data also make it possible to show a large proportion of social benefits at the cantonal level. Most of the indicators developed on the basis of the Total Social Security Accounts also meet the criterion of international comparability. At present, international comparisons include most EU and EFTA countries.

Period conducted

The Total Social Security Accounts are compiled every year by the Federal Statistical Office. The 2003 edition provided for the first time information on almost all categories of the Total Security Accounts going back to the 1950s. However, the estimates for the decades between 1950 and 1990 are not as precise as those for the years since then.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Switzerland</span> National economy of Switzerland

The economy of Switzerland is one of the world's most advanced and highly-developed free-market economies. The service sector has come to play a significant economic role, particularly the Swiss banking industry and tourism. The economy of Switzerland ranked first in the world in the 2015 Global Innovation Index and third in the 2020 Global Competitiveness Report. According to United Nations data for 2016, Switzerland is the third richest landlocked country in the world after Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Together with the latter and Norway, they are the only three countries in the world with a GDP per capita (nominal) above US$70,000 that are neither island nations nor ministates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disposable and discretionary income</span> Total personal income minus current income taxes

Disposable income is total personal income minus current income taxes. In national accounts definitions, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income. Subtracting personal outlays yields personal savings, hence the income left after paying away all the taxes is referred to as disposable income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Security Trust Fund</span>

The Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund are trust funds that provide for payment of Social Security benefits administered by the United States Social Security Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public finance</span> Study of the role of government within the economy

Public finance is the study of the role of the government in the economy. It is the branch of economics that assesses the government revenue and government expenditure of the public authorities and the adjustment of one or the other to achieve desirable effects and avoid undesirable ones. The purview of public finance is considered to be threefold, consisting of governmental effects on:

  1. The efficient allocation of available resources;
  2. The distribution of income among citizens; and
  3. The stability of the economy.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government spending</span> Government consumptions, investments, and transfer payments

Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual or collective needs of the community, is classed as government final consumption expenditure. Government acquisition of goods and services intended to create future benefits, such as infrastructure investment or research spending, is classed as government investment. These two types of government spending, on final consumption and on gross capital formation, together constitute one of the major components of gross domestic product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gross fixed capital formation</span> Macroeconomic concept

Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) is a macroeconomic concept used in official national accounts such as the United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA), National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) and the European System of Accounts (ESA). The concept dates back to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) studies of Simon Kuznets of capital formation in the 1930s, and standard measures for it were adopted in the 1950s. Statistically it measures the value of acquisitions of new or existing fixed assets by the business sector, governments and "pure" households less disposals of fixed assets. GFCF is a component of the expenditure on gross domestic product (GDP), and thus shows something about how much of the new value added in the economy is invested rather than consumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Switzerland</span> Overview of the health care system in Switzerland

The healthcare in Switzerland is universal and is regulated by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance. There are no free state-provided health services, but private health insurance is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland.

Compensation of employees (CE) is a statistical term used in national accounts, balance of payments statistics and sometimes in corporate accounts as well. It refers basically to the total gross (pre-tax) wages paid by employers to employees for work done in an accounting period, such as a quarter or a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budget of the European Union</span> Monetary budget of the EU

The European Union has a budget to finance policies carried out at European level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States federal budget</span> Budget of the U.S. federal government

The United States federal budget comprises the spending and revenues of the U.S. federal government. The budget is the financial representation of the priorities of the government, reflecting historical debates and competing economic philosophies. The government primarily spends on healthcare, retirement, and defense programs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office provides extensive analysis of the budget and its economic effects. It has reported that large budget deficits over the next 30 years are projected to drive federal debt held by the public to unprecedented levels—from 98 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 to 195 percent by 2050.

Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamps, and investment gains.

Taxes in Switzerland are levied by the Swiss Confederation, the cantons and the municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Tanzania</span>

Tanzania has a hierarchical health system which is in tandem with the political-administrative hierarchy. At the bottom, there are the dispensaries found in every village where the village leaders have a direct influence on its running. The health centers are found at ward level and the health center in charge is answerable to the ward leaders. At the district, there is a district hospital and at the regional level a regional referral hospital. The tertiary level is usually the zone hospitals and at a national level, there is the national hospital. There are also some specialized hospitals that do not fit directly into this hierarchy and therefore are directly linked to the ministry of health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian public debt</span> Debt owed by the government sector in Canada

Canadian public debt, or general government debt, is the liabilities of the government sector. Government gross debt consists of liabilities that are a financial claim that requires payment of interest and/or principal in future. They consist mainly of Treasury bonds, but also include public service employee pension liabilities. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Statistical Office (Switzerland)</span>

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) is a Federal agency of the Swiss Confederation. It is the statistics office of Switzerland, situated in Neuchâtel and attached to the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

A labor market area is a geographic area or region defined for purposes of compiling, reporting, and evaluating employment, unemployment, workforce availability, and related topics. It can be defined as an economically integrated region within which residents can find jobs within a reasonable commuting distance or can change their employment without changing their place of residence.

Environmental protection expenditure accounts (EPEA) are a statistical framework that describes environmental activities in monetary terms and organises these statistics into a full set of accounts, just like that of the national accounts. The EPEA is part of the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting which, in March 2012, was adopted as a statistical standard by the United Nations Statistical Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal budget of Switzerland</span> Budget of the Swiss federal government

The Swiss federal budget refers to the annual revenue and expenditures of the Swiss Confederation. As budget expenditures are issued on a yearly basis by the government, the federal council, and have to be approved by the parliament, they reflect the country's Fiscal policy.

Natural capital accounting is the process of calculating the total stocks and flows of natural resources and services in a given ecosystem or region. Accounting for such goods may occur in physical or monetary terms. This process can subsequently inform government, corporate and consumer decision making as each relates to the use or consumption of natural resources and land, and sustainable behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Department of Home Affairs</span> Swiss government department

The Federal Department of Home Affairs is a department of the federal administration of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss ministry of the interior. As of 2012, it is headed by Federal Councillor Alain Berset.

References