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Swiss Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Civic Service Plan and Climate Inheritance Tax

Concerns over economic risk, including potential capital flight, drove a rare nationwide consensus.

Overview

  • Preliminary results show roughly 84% voted against replacing compulsory military service with universal civic service and about 78–79% rejected a climate-focused inheritance tax.
  • Swiss public broadcaster SSR and subsequent analysis reported a rejection across every canton for the inheritance tax proposal.
  • The inheritance measure, advanced by Swiss Socialist Youth, sought a 50% levy on estate portions above 50 million CHF, targeting around 2,500 households and projected to raise about 6 billion CHF annually for the ecological transition.
  • The government and Parliament urged a No vote on both initiatives, arguing they posed threats to the economy and risked driving wealthy taxpayers abroad.
  • Debate over the civic-service plan highlighted gender equity concerns, with labor leaders warning that unpaid mandatory service could deepen existing imbalances in unpaid work performed by women.