What will be voted on in the March 2026 national referendum in Switzerland?

On March 8, voters in Switzerland will take part in the first round of referendums in 2026. There are four national proposals being decided on. Here’s everything you need to know.

Individual taxation in Switzerland

Under the current tax system in Switzerland, anyone who is married must file a joint tax return with their spouse. If both spouses have jobs then their incomes are combined when calculating income tax. This, many argue, creates a “marriage penalty” as working married couples can end up paying more tax than couples who are not married.

On March 8, Swiss citizens will decide on the Federal Act on Individual Taxation, passed by the Swiss government. The bill would mean that married couples will be taxed individually based on their own income and assets, and would pay similar taxes to unmarried couples who are both working. 

If passed, the law will be enforced no later than 2032. The government’s bill is a counter-proposal to the Fair Taxation Initiative.

What are the arguments for and against individual taxation? 

Supporters of the bill argue that it will reduce unfair treatment of married couples, remove potential tax barriers to how much a married person might work and encourage financial independence in a couple and contribute to gender equality, according to SRF.

However, 10 Swiss cantons have so far launched a cantonal campaign opposing the law, as “they believe it will result in a fundamental system change in income and wealth taxation”. Tax authorities would have to process around 1,7 million extra tax returns and married couples could be disadvantaged in certain situations.

What is the expected outcome of the individual taxation vote?

The individual taxation proposal currently receives broad support from the public based on an SRF survey from January 30. 64 percent said they would have voted in favour of the initiative if the referendum had been held on January 18.

What is the SRG initiative in Switzerland?

Families and households in Switzerland currently pay a Swiss TV and radio licence fee (Serafe) of 335 Swiss francs a year. Companies can also be subject to a fee if sales generated exceed 500.000 Swiss francs.

The SRG initiative “200 francs is enough” was put forward by a committee mostly made up of the Swiss People’s Party. The plan would reduce the annual fee from 335 Swiss francs to 200 francs per household and companies would no longer have to pay the fee.

The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) should be limited to providing “essential public service”, according to the initiative, and if passed would result in the broadcaster potentially reducing some of its offerings.

What are the arguments for and against the SRG initiative? 

Supporters of the initiative argue that people are forced to pay the TV license fee regardless of whether they use the services, that SRG should limit its services, and that private media can fill any gaps.

To counter the SRG initiative, the Swiss government has announced that from 2029, the TV and radio license fee will be reduced to 300 Swiss francs and from 2027, fewer businesses will be required to pay.

Opponents of the initiative are concerned that, with less funding, the SRG will not be able to cater to such a diverse audience with different languages and cultural backgrounds.

What are the expected results of the SRG initiative vote?

There is currently no clear verdict on the SRG initiative, according to the results of a recent SRF survey. 52 percent of survey respondents said that they would vote against it, while 46 percent said they would vote in favour of the proposal.

What is the cash initiative in Switzerland?

The proposal “Yes to an independent, free Swiss currency with coins or banknotes (cash is freedom)” calls on the federal government to “ensure the availability of cash in Switzerland” and that any potential change to the national currency would be put to a popular vote.

Cashless payments are becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland, but many want the option to pay with cash to be legally protected. The proposed popular initiative “aims to enshrine the availability of cash and the Swiss franc as Switzerland’s currency in the constitution,” according to the government’s website.

The proposal also aims to ensure that, if the Swiss franc were replaced with, for example, the euro, then the decision would be made by the Swiss population and cantons through a referendum.

The government has rejected the cash initiative and put forward a counter-proposal, “Federal decree on Swiss currency and cash supply”. The counter-proposal offers alternative wording based on existing laws. Both proposals aim to ensure the supply of cash and require that the Swiss franc can be changed only by referendum.

What are the expected results of the cash initiative vote?

Both the proposal and the counter-proposal show signs of voter support based on a SRF survey. 65 percent of survey participants said they would vote in favour of the proposal and 67 percent also are in favour of the government’s counter-proposal.

This means that a tie-breaker question could be included in the vote to decide which proposal goes ahead. According to SRF, the counter-proposal is currently the more popular of the two.

Climate fund initiative in Switzerland

The final national topic that voters will decide on in the March 8 referendum is the Climate Fund initiative, “For a fair energy and climate policy: Investing for prosperity, jobs and the environment”. 

The Climate Fund initiative calls for the government to allocate more money and effort to combat climate change. The proposal wants the government to set up a fund financed by contributions of between 0,5 and 1 percent of Switzerland's economic output (around 4 to 8 billion Swiss francs). 

The government should use this fund to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding renewable energy and creating economical and efficient energy consumption. The proposal would mean the government would spend around two to four times as much on climate change policies as it does now.

What are the arguments for and against the Climate Fund Initiative?

Studies have found that Switzerland will face increasing challenges in the future due to climate change. The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology and ETH Zurich believe global warming is already impacting the country at a faster rate than expected. Increased funding would help the government combat this.

However, the Federal Council has rejected the initiative. Opponents of the initiative argue that the government, cantons and municipalities already have measures and policies in place to reach Switzerland’s net-zero target by 2050. Furthermore, the proposal would shift some of the responsibility of addressing climate change away from private individuals and businesses and would take funding away from other government policies.

What are the expected results of the climate fund initiative?

It is so far looking likely that the climate fund initiative could be rejected at the polls. In a recent SRF survey, 60 percent said that they would vote no and 35 percent said they would vote yes. According to GFS Bern researcher Lukas Golder, voters are more concerned about other government policies: “The focus on federal finances and security is causing the climate debate to be stifled.”