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Obwalden Votes For Flat Tax,
by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Swiss canton of Obwalden has become the first canton to adopt a flat rate
of tax for individual income taxpayers, following a recent cantonal referendum.
According to Swissinfo, Obwalden's authorities announced the decision to put
in place a flat tax after 90% of the canton's electorate voted in favour of
the proposal.
Obwalden had been forced to review its tax system following a complaint from
Socialist Party deputy Josef Zisyadis that reforms put in place in January 2006
had created a regressive tax system, where wealthy taxpayers paid a lower tax
rate than those on lower incomes, and which was therefore unconstitutional.
Zisyadis succeeded in getting the tax overturned by the Federal Tribunal in Lausanne
in June, stating at the time that the court's decision had "put a brake
on the fiscal cannibalism between the cantons".
After a referendum in 2005, Obwalden, a tiny mountainous region in the centre
of Switzerland, brought in an income tax law which cut tax for those earning
more than CHF300,000 per year to 1% from 2.35%. Individuals earning up to CHF70,000
paid 8% and those with income up to CHF300,000 paid up to 6%. At the same time,
Obwalden also cut corporate tax to 6.6%, making it one of the lowest rates in
Switzerland.
Obwalden's tax reforms also prompted other cantons to respond with tax cuts
of their own: cantons Zurich, Valais, Fribourg, Uri and Schaffhausen all reduced
tax rates in 2006. This prompted complaints from those on the left that some
cantons were engaged in a 'race to the bottom' on taxation that would eventually
endanger the viability of public finances.
The cantonal tax system has also come under attack from the European Commission,
which is attempting to make Switzerland change aspects of its corporate tax
regime designed to attract holding companies to the jurisdiction. The Commission
argues that the Swiss tax regime, which allows cantonal governments freedom
to set their own tax rates to attract new companies and wealthy expats, breaches
the 1972 trade agreement between Switzerland and the EU by distorting trade
and competition.
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