How you can save money on your Swiss tax bill based on where you live
Deadline for your tax declarations is nearing and you may be in the throes of filling out your forms. But depending on the Swiss commune where you live, your ‘tax burden’ could be lower this year.
If you are like most people, you probably cringe at the mere thought of having to pay taxes.
There is, however, some good news on that front: one is that taxes in Switzerland are among the lowest in Europe.
The second is a positive development — namely, that many residents of Switzerland will pay lower taxes this year.
Watson news platform used data from the Federal Tax Administration to calculate rates for 2023 taxes that are due this year.
It examined two scenarios: a family with two adults and two children, and a single individual. Its conclusion is that both groups will pay lower taxes, with savings in some regions higher than in others.
READ ALSO: When are the 2024 tax deadlines in each Swiss canton?
First scenario
These are ‘reductions’ you can expect, based on your place of residence, if your household consists of two adults and two minor children, and your joint income is 100,000 francs a year — which is not unusual if both parents work.
In such a case, taxes will be lower in more than 1,560 of Switzerland’s 2,136 municipalities, or more than 70 percent of the total.
And in many places, the drop will be significant.
This is the case in Vaud, which has one of the country’s highest tax rates.
The residents of the canton’s capital, Lausanne, for instance, will pay 1,027 francs less on average than they did for 2022 taxes, with inhabitants in many other Vaud communities also benefitting from a reduction of 900 francs or more.
In Basel, an average saving of 1,468 francs can be expected.
And in certain Solothurn municipalities, taxpayers will pay 1,800 francs less.
In Geneva, on the other hand, the savings will be much lower — about 120 francs — which is still better than in Zurich, where taxes in most municipalities will not offer any savings.
What is the situation for single individuals?
The second scenario concerns a single person without children, living alone, whose gross annual income is 80,000 francs.
In this case, the number of municipalities where taxes will fall is even greater (more than 2,000 out of 2,136), but the savings will be more moderate overall.
Among the biggest ‘winners’ will be single individuals in Basel, who will be able to lower their taxes by 7.7 percent — about 857 francs.
In Vaud, the savings will range between 1.7 and 5.8 percent — which is equivalent to a few hundred francs.
Geneva’s savings will be below 2 percent, while Zurich’s single taxpayers will only save less than 1 percent, amounting to mere 23 francs.
You can check out your tax burden for 2023, here.
READ ALSO : What can I deduct from my tax bill in Switzerland?
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If you are like most people, you probably cringe at the mere thought of having to pay taxes.
There is, however, some good news on that front: one is that taxes in Switzerland are among the lowest in Europe.
The second is a positive development — namely, that many residents of Switzerland will pay lower taxes this year.
Watson news platform used data from the Federal Tax Administration to calculate rates for 2023 taxes that are due this year.
It examined two scenarios: a family with two adults and two children, and a single individual. Its conclusion is that both groups will pay lower taxes, with savings in some regions higher than in others.
READ ALSO: When are the 2024 tax deadlines in each Swiss canton?
First scenario
These are ‘reductions’ you can expect, based on your place of residence, if your household consists of two adults and two minor children, and your joint income is 100,000 francs a year — which is not unusual if both parents work.
In such a case, taxes will be lower in more than 1,560 of Switzerland’s 2,136 municipalities, or more than 70 percent of the total.
And in many places, the drop will be significant.
This is the case in Vaud, which has one of the country’s highest tax rates.
The residents of the canton’s capital, Lausanne, for instance, will pay 1,027 francs less on average than they did for 2022 taxes, with inhabitants in many other Vaud communities also benefitting from a reduction of 900 francs or more.
In Basel, an average saving of 1,468 francs can be expected.
And in certain Solothurn municipalities, taxpayers will pay 1,800 francs less.
In Geneva, on the other hand, the savings will be much lower — about 120 francs — which is still better than in Zurich, where taxes in most municipalities will not offer any savings.
What is the situation for single individuals?
The second scenario concerns a single person without children, living alone, whose gross annual income is 80,000 francs.
In this case, the number of municipalities where taxes will fall is even greater (more than 2,000 out of 2,136), but the savings will be more moderate overall.
Among the biggest ‘winners’ will be single individuals in Basel, who will be able to lower their taxes by 7.7 percent — about 857 francs.
In Vaud, the savings will range between 1.7 and 5.8 percent — which is equivalent to a few hundred francs.
Geneva’s savings will be below 2 percent, while Zurich’s single taxpayers will only save less than 1 percent, amounting to mere 23 francs.
You can check out your tax burden for 2023, here.
READ ALSO : What can I deduct from my tax bill in Switzerland?
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