Switzerland’s Young Socialists (JS) have launched their campaign for the “Pour l’avenir” (“For the Future”) initiative, arguing that the super-rich should shoulder the costs of combating climate change, reported RTS.
The ultra-wealthy are destroying our future with private jets, super-yachts and multi-billion-franc investments that harm the climate, the group said at the campaign’s launch. They emit more in a few hours than most people do in a lifetime — it is only fair that they pay to fix the damage.
Filed in August 2022, the initiative calls for a 50% inheritance tax on estates exceeding CHF 50 million, with the proceeds earmarked for the ecological transition of Switzerland’s economy. The party describes the proposal as a socially just way to finance climate protection and estimates it would generate around CHF 6 billion a year. A nationwide vote is scheduled for 30 November 2025.
Opponents argue the plan would do more harm than good. They warn that such a highly punitive tax would prompt wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs to relocate, shrinking the country’s tax base and undermining competitiveness. A falling tax base could wipe out any tax generated by the change. They also claim that the projected revenue is unrealistic, that family-owned firms could be forced to sell assets to meet the tax bill, and that the measure would discourage investment and innovation.
The government, meanwhile, contends that Switzerland already has an active climate policy and that the initiative is unnecessary — and potentially damaging to the country’s image as a stable, predictable place to do business.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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