These are the issues that are, and will be, at the political forefront in the coming months:
US tariffs
As the initial shock over the 39-percent duties imposed by the United States on Swiss imports has somewhat subsided, the Federal Council has to tackle a huge task: how to get Donald Trump to lower these tariffs, which are the steepest in Europe.
So far, the government's attempts to reduce the tariffs (which included a rush trip the Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economy Minister Guy Parmelin made to Washington) have proved fruitless.
Hopes of a better deal were further dashed when information about Trump's dissatisfaction with Switzerland's offer in general and Keller-Sutter in particular has emerged.
Nevertheless, in order to mitigate the damage to Switzerland's export-oriented sectors and the country's economy as a whole, the government has to come up with an offer that Trump will not be able to refuse.
After the failed Washington trip, the Federal Council issued a statement saying that Switzerland "remains firmly committed to pursuing discussions with the US, with the aim of reducing these tariffs as swiftly as possible.”
No details were provided, but it is a safe bet that the government will have a busy autumn trying to strike a new deal with the United States.
READ ALSO: US tariffs for Switzerland: What we know about them so far
But that is not the only trouble Switzerland has with the US:
The FA-35 fiasco
Switzerland finalised the purchase of 35 US-made F-35A fighter jets in 2022, in order to replace its own ageing combat fleet.
The price tag: 6 billion francs of taxpayers' money.
But recently, the Trump administration has upped this agreed-on price by as-yet undefined amount, estimated at between 650 million and 1.3 billion francs.
This situation has stirred not only quite a controversy in Switzerland, with many politicians considering this breach of contract unacceptable; they call for scrapping this purchase altogether and exploring European alternatives instead.
The Federal Council said it is committed to the deal, with many observers saying Switzerland will not dare to anger the United States because it wants to renegotiate the trade tariffs.
Electronic ID and property tax
Swiss voters will have to decide on two issues in the second round of national referendums to be held on September 28th – both of them controversial.
The first one concerns the electronic proof of identity (e-ID).
Voters had already rejected this legislation in 2021, mainly because it was going to be issued by private companies.
The new, ‘improved’ law stipulates that the federal government will issue the e-ID and operate the required technical infrastructure, thereby ensuring the best possible protection of privacy and data security.
The issue nevertheless remains controversial, with some claiming this type of digital document will still not be totally secure and could violate privacy of its holders.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about Switzerland's controversial 'electronic-ID
The second issue at stake is the rental imputed value.
This refers to a tax term used to describe the theoretical rental value that you would have to pay if you were renting your own property.
In Switzerland, this value is used to calculate taxes, even if you live in your own apartment or house and do not pay rent.
In return, you can deduct your mortgage interest and maintenance costs from your taxable income.
But parliament has passed an amendment to the law (which is put to vote on September 28th) that abolishes the taxation of the imputed rental value and restricts the options for making deductions. This applies to both main homes and second homes.
At the same time, MPs have passed an amendment to the Constitution that allows the cantons to introduce a special property tax on second homes.
Individual taxation
During the autumn session of the parliament, from September 8th to September 26th, MPs will finally vote on the implementation of individual taxation of married couples.
Today, married couples are taxed together, which means that if both partners are employed, they often have to pay higher taxes than unmarried couples filing separately.
Their income is added (and taxed) together regardless of who made what.
The issue has been on the legislative radar for several years, but its approval has stalled mostly because MPs couldn't agree among themselves on whether individual taxation is really best.
But after years in limbo, the individual taxation of married couples has received the majority's support in the parliament in June.
It will be finalised in September.
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