Inheritance tax: signatures collected for ‘Initiative for a Future’

The JUSO presents the “Initiative for a Future” on a dry section of the River Emme in August 2022 Keystone / Marcel Bieri

The youth section of the Swiss Social Democrats (JUSO) say they have collected enough signatures for the “Initiative for a Future”.

This calls for an inheritance tax of 50% from a tax-free amount of CHF50 million ($58.5 million) in favour of an ecological restructuring of the economy.

The Swiss electorate will be able to vote on socially fair financing of climate protection, according to a JUSO press release on Wednesday. The party plans to submit its initiative at the beginning of February. It says it has already collected over 130,000 signatures.

According to JUSO calculations, the tax with a rate of 50% would raise around CHF6 billion a year, which would be used by the federal government and the cantons for socially just climate protection measures. For example, energy-efficient building renovations, retraining programmes for employees in “climate-damaging” sectors or a massive expansion of public transport would be financed.

+ Parliament agrees on air ticket tax and other incentives to reach climate target

“The richest must finally be held accountable for the climate crisis,” JUSO President Nicola Siegrist said. Studies show that “the richest people contribute enormously to climate destruction” with their climate-damaging investments and consumer behaviour, he said.

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