Swiss voters will have their say on four big issues brought to the ballot box in the first round of 2026 federal referendums, to be held on March 8th.
Individual taxation
Currently, married couples in Switzerland are taxed jointly, while the unmarried ones are subject to individual taxation.
Additionally, different tax rates apply to each group, which means that married and unmarried people pay different levels of tax.
However, to remedy this unequal treatment, the Parliament has passed the Federal Act on Individual Taxation, on which the citizens will cast their votes.
Under this new law (if approved), married couples will also be taxed individually.
Each person will pay tax on their own income and assets, and the same tax rate will apply to everyone, regardless of their civil status.
READ MORE: Switzerland approves new tax system for married couples
Protecting cash
This initiative aims to enshrine the availability of cash, as well as the franc as Switzerland’s only official currency, in the Constitution.
To this end, it wants to oblige the federal government to ensure that a sufficient quantity of coins and banknotes is always in circulation.
Replacing the franc with another currency should only be possible with the consent of the people and the cantons – that is, through a referendum.
The Federal Council and Parliament also want to enshrine the provisions on cash supply and the franc in the Constitution.
However, they don’t see eye-to eye with the initiative’s instigators, an organisation called the Freedom Movement, on the wording of the initiative.
They have therefore launched a counter-proposal of their own, based on the wording of existing laws.
Voters will decide which of the two to approve.
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Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR) fee
Private households in Switzerland pay a radio and television fee of 335 francs per year, which is used to fund public television and radio stations.
The initiative, spearheaded by right-of-centre parties, aims to cap the SRG’s’s funding to 200 francs per household, arguing that this amount would be sufficient for the broadcaster to provide “essential service to the general public.”
The Federal Council’s counter-proposal, on the other hand, seeks to gradually reduce the fee for private households to 300 francs by 2029.
Voters will choose which option they like best.
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Climate
Launched by the Green Party, The Climate Fund Initiative calls for the federal government to allocate significantly more funds to combating climate change and its consequences.
Specifically, the Greens want the annual contribution to equal between 0.5 and 1 percent of Switzerland’s economic output.
This corresponds to between 4 to 8 billion francs a year – well above 2 billion francs that the Swiss government pays each year for climate protection and renewable energies.
