Spousal taxation initiative: Keller-Sutter launches ‘no’ campaign
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss government has launched its referendum campaign against the initiative ‘Yes to fair federal taxes for spouses too – Stop discrimination against marriage!”, which will be put to a vote by the people and the cantons on November 29.
Tax discrimination against marriage is now a thing of the past, thanks to the public’s endorsement of individual taxation in March.
+ Individual taxation receives massive support from Swiss Abroad
The Federal Council and parliament reject the proposed constitutional amendment put forward by the Centre Party, which provides that, for direct federal tax purposes, married couples should continue to be taxed jointly as a single economic unit.
At the same time, it calls for the Constitution to stipulate that they must not be treated less favourably than cohabiting couples.
To this end, the initiative’s promoters propose an alternative method of calculating tax, under which the tax authorities would automatically apply the tax rate most favourable to the couple. In the Federal Council’s view, the initiative is obsolete, as the electorate already approved the switch to an individual taxation system by a large majority in March 2026.
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Swiss parliament rejects return to joint taxation of spouses
According to the Federal Council, the initiative’s approval would lead to administrative chaos with conflicting tax systems. The Confederation would have to continue to tax married couples jointly, whilst the already approved individual taxation system would apply to cantonal and municipal taxes.
Furthermore, the initiative would favour married couples and penalise unmarried people.
Joint taxation also creates obstacles for those with a second income – in most cases women – and undermines their financial independence. Depending on how the initiative is implemented, the Confederation also warns of a fall in tax revenue that could amount to as much as CHF3 billion a year.
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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
