Swiss voters rejected an initiative to slash the national radio-television fee while approving a reform introducing individual taxation for married couples. They also backed a government counter-proposal on cash in the constitution and rejected a climate fund.
Broadcasting fee initiative rejected
Voters rejected the initiative “200 francs is enough!”, which proposed cutting the radio-television fee from CHF 335 to CHF 200 per household and abolishing the levy on companies.
According to the official provisional result, 61.92% voted against the proposal and 38.08% supported it, with all cantons rejecting the initiative.
The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) lamented the result. In a statement it argued that the licence fee remains “entirely unjustified” for businesses and retailers. The party also criticised what it described as the use of licence-fee revenue to finance left-wing journalism.
Despite the defeat, the party welcomed the government’s planned reduction of the fee to CHF 300 for households and relief for many small firms. It also said the campaign had helped spark debate about the public broadcaster’s mandate.
Individual taxation passes
Voters appear to have approved the introduction of individual taxation for married couples, an indirect counter-proposal by the federal government to an initiative from PLR/FDP Women.
The reform seeks to end the so-called “marriage penalty”, under which married couples may pay more tax than if they were assessed separately. Under the new system each spouse would file an individual tax return, as unmarried couples already do.
In French-speaking Switzerland only Valais rejected the reform. Elsewhere the country was more divided: several central and eastern cantons opposed it, while Zurich, Lucerne, Solothurn and Basel-Landschaft supported it.
Partial results suggest approval by roughly 54.23% of voters. Support was strongest in Vaud (68.6%), followed by Geneva (67.8%) and Neuchâtel (67.4%). Opposition was strongest in Appenzell Innerrhoden, where 67.8% voted against.
The reform addresses a problem recognised by the Federal Supreme Court since 1984: married couples with similar incomes often pay more tax than unmarried couples.
The new system will apply not only to federal taxes but also to cantonal and municipal ones.
Cash counter-proposal endorsed
Voters also backed a government counter-proposal intended to guarantee access to cash in the constitution.
The counter-proposal was approved by 73.42% of voters, with support across almost all cantons.
The initiative itself—launched by the Swiss Freedom Movement—was rejected, receiving 45.58% support and 54.42% opposition.
Support for the counter-proposal was strong across the country. In French-speaking Switzerland the highest approval came from Vaud, while support was somewhat lower in Jura.
German-speaking cantons also backed the government’s version by large margins, including Basel-City, St Gallen and Bern.
Both proposals aimed to enshrine the use of cash in the constitution. But the initiative went further by explicitly guaranteeing banknotes and coins and requiring banks to maintain easy public access to cash through distribution networks.
Climate fund initiative defeated
A separate initiative calling for the creation of a climate fund was decisively rejected. The proposal asked the federal government to invest between 0.5% and 1% of GDP annually—roughly CHF 4bn to CHF 8bn—to accelerate the transition to carbon neutrality by 2050.
According to the official provisional result, 70.73% of voters rejected the proposal while 29.27% supported it.
Opposition ranged between roughly 65% and 75% in most cantons. In French-speaking Switzerland the initiative was rejected by 76.9% in Valais and 71.3% in Fribourg. Jura voted against it by 66.4%, Neuchâtel by 62.4% and Vaud by 61.6%. Geneva recorded a narrower rejection, with 57.9% voting no.
Opposition was even stronger in parts of German-speaking Switzerland. Schwyz and Appenzell Innerrhoden rejected the initiative by more than 84%. Zurich also voted clearly against it.
The result marks another defeat for the political left. The proposal would have required significantly higher federal spending.
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