Why politicians come to the opera house for free
Zurich
Why politicians do not have to pay admission to the opera
The political actors in the canton of Zurich are divided over their free pass to the opera house.
In the opera house on the Sechseläutenplatz, you quickly pay around 200 francs for a seat. Not so the Zurich political celebrities. how to die «NZZ on Sunday» reported, cantonal councils and government councils have been waived. In the opera house there is a box above the orchestra specially reserved for them.
As a press spokeswoman explained to the newspaper, this offer is a house rule that the Zurich Opera House has set. Apparently as a thank you for the subsidies of 80 million francs that the canton pays to the opera house every year. If the box is empty, it will be passed on to other visitors.
There are different opinions on this in politics. After all, it is the people who pay for the subsidies through taxes, the politicians only approve the budget, said FDP cantonal councilor Sonja Rueff-Frenkel. Government spokesman Andreas Melchior, on the other hand, said that it was “quite appropriate” for government councilors to sporadically visit performances of the canton’s cultural commitment by the greatest distance. “It also has to do with respect and appreciation for the opera house.” (liz)