Swiss Support for Property Tax Abolition Wanes Before Vote

(Bloomberg) — A proposal to abolish a century-old property tax in Switzerland is losing support among voters ahead of a ballot in less than two weeks on overhauling housing levies.

The plan is to remove the tax owner-occupiers pay on the theoretical rent they could earn from their property, which Switzerland first introduced early last century. To offset the impact on the public finances, government and parliament hashed out a compromise that involves levies on second homes, such as mountain chalets.

Two polls by public broadcaster SRG SSR and newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten released Wednesday showed support slip to 51% and 54%, respectively, a significantly thinner margin than in surveys last month. At the same time, more people said they’d vote against the proposal at the Sept. 28 plebiscite, according to the pollsters.

Voter intentions show a “primary line of conflict along housing conditions,” survey institute gfs.bern said. Its results show 62% of homeowners support removing the tax, compared with just one third of tenants.

Under the government plan, cantons – the country’s states — would be able to put taxes on second homes to make up for any loss of revenue. That will be particularly important to authorities in Switzerland’s mountain regions, where there are many vacation homes, and property ownership rates are higher.

A separate ballot will be held on whether Switzerland should introduce an official digital ID, which citizens can use to verify their identity on the internet. This proposal sees stable support at some 60% of voters.

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