Keller-Sutter warns marriage tax plan could create confusion
Saturday 31st October 2026 on 00:01 in
Switzerland
Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said a proposal to end the marriage tax penalty could create a patchwork of tax rules, contradicting claims by its supporters, SRF reported after a televised debate on Friday.
The Centre Party initiative aims to remove the disadvantage married couples face in federal taxation while keeping joint tax returns. Party representative Benedikt Würth said the model would treat couples equally whether they are married or not.
Keller-Sutter disputed Centre Party president Philipp Bregy’s claim that married couples would continue to be taxed jointly at federal, cantonal and municipal levels. The initiative would override individual taxation only for direct federal tax, she said, leaving cantonal and municipal rules unchanged and creating confusion.
The debate comes after voters approved individual taxation in March. The two approaches both aim to end the marriage tax penalty but differ in how couples are taxed. SP senator Eva Herzog argued that individual taxation better reflects changing family arrangements and is the only option that would also remove the penalty at cantonal level.
SVP national councillor Katja Stettler-Riem said individual taxation would create 1.7 million additional tax returns and require more than 1,000 extra tax officials. She argued that ending the penalty while retaining joint taxation would be more flexible and liberal.
Green Party national councillor Franziska Ryser said full income splitting could result in tax losses of three billion francs, including 2.4 billion francs in savings for the wealthiest 10 per cent. She warned that the shortfall could ultimately be borne by the public, for example through a higher value-added tax.
EVP president Lilian Studer said lawmakers would decide which tax calculation to enshrine in the constitution. She favours full splitting but said she was open to compromise, adding that the initiative includes a transitional arrangement.
Voters will decide on the Centre Party initiative on November 29.