In the News

Tax Amnesty Approved

In December 2007, the Swiss Parliament approved a partial amnesty for tax dodgers, despite opposition by the Greens and the centre-left.
The Green Party unsuccessfully tried to block the debate saying the proposal went against the idea of fair taxation. "We are against it because an amnesty is like saying: it pays off to dodge taxes because one day there will be an amnesty," warned Ruth Genner of the Green Party.

Under the proposal, which is still to go back to the Senate to iron out details, citizens will not be fined the first time they report a tax evasion. A previous tax amnesty in 1969 resulted in a windfall of 11.5 billion CHF ($10 billion), according to supporters.