Swiss voters have approved a nationwide reform that changes how married couples are taxed, replacing the long-standing joint assessment system with individual taxation for each spouse. The move could raise taxes for households where only one partner earns a high income.
The decision, made through a national referendum on Sunday, marks a major shift in the country’s tax policy and follows years of debate over whether the previous rules discouraged second earners in households from working.
Official figures released today show that roughly 55 per cent of voters supported the measure.
Edward Turner, a wealth manager to UHNWs and senior private banker at Dreyfus Banquiers, described the move as a ‘significant cultural shift for Switzerland’, he told Spear’s. ‘For decades, joint taxation impacted dual income couples,’ he added. ‘The reform aligns Switzerland more closely with most Western tax systems and reflects modern family structures.’
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Under the new rules, married couples in Switzerland will no longer combine their incomes and assets when calculating taxes, a shift from the old system that often led couples with similar earnings to pay more than unmarried partners in comparable situations.
When the new bill comes into force, predicted to be no earlier than January 2030, each spouse will be taxed individually across federal, cantonal and municipal levels.
For dual-income households this is expected to reduce the overall tax burden, while families where only one partner works may see higher taxes, particularly if the working spouse earns a substantial income.
The reform will affect more than 650,000 households in Switzerland and is projected to reduce federal tax revenue by roughly CHF 600 million per year.
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Supporters say the reform could encourage more women, often the lower-earning spouse, to take on full-time work, which could not only improve their career development and pension entitlements but also help address labour shortages in some sectors. Many of the yes voters see the law as a major step forward for equality.
But the change has faced pushback from conservative parties and ten cantons, which argued that households with a single high earner could end up paying more and that unpaid domestic work, often done by women, would be undervalued.
They also raised concerns about increased bureaucracy, warning that the reform could generate an additional 1.7 million tax returns annually.
‘The main challenge will be implementation,’ Turner said.
‘Individual taxation increases administrative complexity and will initially create more work for tax authorities,’ the Switzerland-based wealth manager added. However, ‘over time, digitalisation and AI should help process tax returns more efficiently, even within a more complex fiscal framework.’
Critics also view the reform as a threat to Switzerland’s traditional family model, especially in conservative areas outside cities like Zurich and Geneva.
‘Behavioural effects are already visible,’ Turner noted. ‘Some couples who delayed marriage for tax reasons are reconsidering that decision. The first “save the date” invitations have already started to circulate in Switzerland,’ he said.
The approval of individual taxation marks a milestone in Swiss politics. The law began as a government counterproposal to an initiative from the women’s section of the Radical-Liberal Party and was narrowly passed by both chambers of parliament in early 2025, making it the first individual taxation reform accepted by the federal parliament in 25 years.
The 8 March referendum also covered three other issues. Voters weighed in on a plan to lower the public media licence fee, proposals designed to secure the future of cash in the constitution and a new initiative to set up a climate fund.
