Two weeks ago, Switzerland’s Parliament voted to end joint taxation for married couples, opting instead for individual tax assessments. The reform is designed to eliminate the so-called marriage penalty. This week, opponents struck back. A cross-party alliance—comprising the Centre Party, the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the Evangelical People’s Party (EPP), and the Christian-conservative EDU—announced plans to launch a referendum, reported RTS.
Currently, many married couples in Switzerland pay more tax than they would if they were unmarried. Two weeks ago, a narrow parliamentary majority (101 votes to 95) voted in favour of moving to a system of individual taxation.
However, referendum organisers say the change will penalise couples where there is a large income difference and will create a huge amount of extra work for cantonal tax administrators, who will need to process an extra 1.7 million tax returns a year. In a joint statement, they described the reform as a bureaucratic monster. Most cantons, they claim, oppose the change.
Referendum organisers now have 100 days to collect 50,000 signatures to qualify for a vote.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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