Initiative in favour of individual taxation gets green light
A people’s initiative calling for an end to the practice of taxing married couples as a single unit has been handed in and validated by authorities for a possible future vote.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
Iniciativa em favor da tributação individual recebe sinal verde
The initiative, “for an individual taxation independent of civil status”, was handed in by campaigners last month. On Tuesday, the Federal Chancellery said it had validated the signatures collected, 100,000 of which are needed to launch a national vote.
The initiative is the latest effort to end the practice of joint taxation of married couples, which opponents see as punitive and discriminatory: while single and non-married couples are taxed individually in Switzerland, married couples are taxed on joint income, which for many means higher rates once they tie the knot.
More
More
Tax break for married couples rejected
This content was published on
A slim majority of voters said “No” when asked to approve a popular initiative on tax breaks for married couples.
A national vote in 2016 calling for an overhaul of the system was narrowly rejected by citizens (see above). However, the Federal Court later ordered a re-vote on the issue as information about how many people would be affected by the change, given by the government, was deemed to be inaccurate.
That a re-vote didn’t take place sooner was largely down to the initial backers of the plan, from the Centre party, who decided to withdraw the original initiative and work on a separate project that would also include married gay couples. It is also currently collecting signatures for two separate initiatives on the issue, the Keystone-SDA news agency says.
Meanwhie it’s unclear whether the initiative validated this week, driven by members of the centre-right Liberal Radical Party, will actually come to vote: the government is also currently working on proposals to ease the tax burden on married couples, which it plans to send out for consultation this autumn.
This content was published on
According to a new study, teachers are satisfied with their colleagues, classes and lessons, but have a more sober view of inclusive schooling.
This content was published on
Switzerland has criticised Bezalel Smotrich's comment that starving the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip “might be justified and moral”.
Canadian North Korea expert reportedly detained in Switzerland on espionage charges
This content was published on
A former UN official from Canada who now works as a North Korea specialist has been detained on charges of spying, media reports said on Thursday.
Swiss franc rally supercharged by search for safe havens
This content was published on
The wave of risk aversion that ripped through markets at the start of the week has supercharged the currency’s appreciation.
Immigration to Switzerland drops slightly in first half of 2024
This content was published on
In the first six months of the year, net immigration fell by 5.9% year-on-year to 40,963 people, Swiss authorities said on Thursday.
Swiss researchers identify sources of smog in Beijing
This content was published on
The origins of smog in the Chinese capital differ between summer and winter, found researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute.
Swiss cultural institutions slam development funding cut
This content was published on
Twelve institutions have criticised a decision by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to cut funding for cultural projects with the Global South.
Hackers find only minor issues with Swiss Post’s e-voting system
This content was published on
A recent bug bounty scheme involving 7,000 hackers confirmed just a single vulnerability – of “low severity” – in the e-voting software.
Greens lodge complaint about vote on women’s retirement age
This content was published on
The party is appealing the regularity of a 2022 vote after news this week that forecasts on the health of the pension system were miscalculated.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Government seeks to end ‘unequal’ taxation of married couples
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants to amend tax law to ensure equal fiscal treatment of married couples compared to unmarried cohabitating couples.
‘Marriage for all’ wins thumping approval of Swiss voters
This content was published on
A law giving full marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples has been accepted by almost two-thirds of Swiss citizens.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.