The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss minister flirts with inheritance tax idea

Baume-Schneider flirts with inheritance tax in favor of AHV
Baume-Schneider flirts with inheritance tax in favor of AHV Keystone-SDA

Introducing a federal inheritance tax and and raising the retirement age are not taboos for Swiss interior minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider when it comes to financing the AHV.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

In an interview. with Swiss public broadcaster SRF, Baume-Schneider warned that the introduction of a 13th old age pension payment will incur major costs.

+ Swiss vote: ‘yes’ to higher pensions, ‘no’ to retiring later

Baume-Schneider said on the Rundschau program that she wanted to present the key figures for pension reform to the Federal Council in the first half of 2025.

However, after the responsible House of Representatives committee clearly rejected a national inheritance tax at the end of October, the idea is likely to have no chance in parliament.

A majority of the population inherit at the age of over 60. “A tax there would not be a drama,” Baume-Schneider continued in the Rundschau. People are getting older, and that costs money. So we also need to discuss raising the retirement age. It is undisputed that the pension system is facing a deficit of billions in less than ten years.

More

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

The federal government is working on a new Swiss identity card with a chip

More

New Swiss biometric ID card planned for 2026

This content was published on A biometric Swiss identity card (ID) is expected to be available in Switzerland by the end of 2026. The Federal Office of Police and its federal and cantonal partners are working on a new ID card that features a chip.

Read more: New Swiss biometric ID card planned for 2026
Opportunities for social mobility remain high in Switzerland

More

Swiss continue to enjoy high social mobility, study shows

This content was published on Opportunities for upward social mobility have remained intact in Switzerland since the 1980s. Social mobility is exceptionally high by international comparison, a study shows.

Read more: Swiss continue to enjoy high social mobility, study shows
UBS launches another billion share buyback programme

More

UBS launches buyback scheme for up to $2 billion in shares

This content was published on UBS is starting a share buyback programme for up to $2 billion (CHF1.6 billion) in shares, in line with a plan approved at its annual general meeting (AGM) in April, the Swiss bank said on Monday.

Read more: UBS launches buyback scheme for up to $2 billion in shares

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR