Swiss Parliament Rejects Return to Joint Taxation of Married Couples.

The Swiss Senate has rejected a proposal aimed at reintroducing joint taxation for married couples, following a closely contested vote that ended 24 to 21 in opposition.

The initiative, put forward by the Centre Party, sought to challenge the outcome of a nationwide referendum held in March, where Swiss voters supported a shift toward individual taxation by a 54.2% majority. That decision marked a major change in Switzerland’s tax system, ending the joint taxation model that has been in place since 1984.

Supporters of the Centre Party initiative argued that the current individual taxation system could disadvantage single-income households within marriages. They proposed an alternative model allowing couples to choose between joint or individual taxation, with tax authorities automatically applying the more favorable option.

The proposal also included a transitional framework giving parliament up to three years to implement a practical system. If no solution was reached within that timeframe, authorities would apply the alternative calculation method by default.

However, a majority in the Senate opposed the initiative, arguing that it would create unnecessary administrative complexity and significantly increase bureaucratic costs. Lawmakers also emphasized the importance of respecting the outcome of the recent popular vote, which clearly supported individual taxation.

Critics of the proposal, including members of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party, stated that the system would be more expensive and difficult to administer compared to the newly approved tax model.

The rejection in the Senate follows a similar decision in the House of Representatives, reinforcing Switzerland’s move toward a fully individual taxation system for spouses.