Swiss parliament rejects return to joint taxation of spouses

The Centre Party believes that the dual-declaration system for spouses approved by voters in March will penalise single-income households. Keystone-SDA

The Senate on Thursday narrowly rejected an initiative by the Centre Party to combat the result of a nationwide vote last March to end the joint taxation of spouses. The rejection, by 24 votes to 21, follows a similar rejection earlier in the House of Representatives.

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In March, Swiss citizens voted in favour of individual taxation by a 54.2% majority, thus putting an end to the joint taxation of married couples that has been in place since 1984. But the Centre Party believes that this dual-declaration system for spouses penalises single-income households.

It therefore decided to maintain its initiative “To put an end to marriage discrimination”. The initiative, which only concerns direct federal taxation, would enshrine joint taxation in the Constitution. However, the resulting inequalities would be eliminated.

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For example, the Centre is proposing an alternative tax calculation that would make it possible to choose between two models: joint taxation and taxation applicable to unmarried people. The tax authorities would choose the most advantageous calculation for each couple.

The text gives parliament three years to decide on the practical implementation. The government would apply the alternative calculation if no solution were found within this period.

Respecting the popular choice

A majority in the Senate considered such a measure to be counter-productive. Some members argued it would generate a great deal of bureaucracy. It would also be much more expensive than individual taxation, said Andrea Caroni of the centre-right Radical-Liberals.

Above all, some members claimed it would be in direct opposition to the individual taxation chosen by the people. The people’s decision must be respected, several senators on the left and in the liberal ranks argued. The Federal Council is also opposed to the Centre’s initiative.

Voters will have the final say on the initiative, with a nationwide vote expected to take place next November at the earliest.

Translated from French with AI/gw

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