MP wants to link naturalisation to improved language proficiency; Basel voters to weigh in on direct wage tax deductions; and more news in our Monday roundup.
MP: Naturalisation must be linked to improved language proficiency
In a recent parliamentary motion, deputy Jean-Luc Addor is seeking tougher federal language criteria for obtaining Swiss citizenship than are currently required.
He argued that language proficiency is “a decisive factor in integration as well as in autonomy and independence” for a naturalisation applicant.
Therefore, he is pushing for the minimum required level to be raised to B2 for spoken language (from the current B1), and to B1 for written skills – up from A2.
Though certain cantons had already set their own, tougher language proficiency rules, Addor wants these higher requirements to be put in place on federal level.
Basel to hold a referendum against direct wage tax deduction
In October, the majority of deputies in the Basel-City parliament agreed to introduce a withholding tax, which is deducted directly from salaries and paid to tax authorities.
This system is different from the usual one – typically, all employees in Switzerland pay their taxes in one fell swoop in March of each year, and only social insurance charges are deducted from wages each month.
However, Basel’s employers’ association, as well as the Chamber of Commerce fear that the new system would create a bureaucratic burden for businesses and had therefore launched a petition against this change; having collected the sufficient number of signatures, this issue will be brought to the ballot box in November 2026.
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Geneva will be the largest contributor to Switzerland’s fiscal equalisation system in 2026
For the first time, Geneva will be the largest donor canton within the national fiscal equalisation – a system under which wealthy regions pay a certain amount of money to the poorer ones.
Geneva will have to pay in 543 million francs, meaning that this canton will exceed previous biggest donors – Zurich and Zug.
This is because in 2022, the had canton collected more taxes than all the others.
The main reason for the windfall was commodity trading, which had brought a lot of money into the state coffers.
READ ALSO: How much will rich Swiss cantons pay to ‘poorer’ ones — and who benefits?
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