Swiss Oppose VAT Increase To Fund Army, Says Poll

2026-02-10 02:13:53

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) In a poll, the Swiss people have come out against an increase in value-added tax (VAT) in favour of the army or the 13th month of old-age pension (AHV/AVS). These are the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of the newspaper Blick. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Swiss oppose VAT increase to fund army, says poll This content was published on February 10, 2026 - 09:18 5 minutes Keystone-SDA

Français fr La population refuse l'augmentation de la TVA, dit un sondage Original Read more: La population refuse l'augmentation de la TVA, dit un so

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More than three quarters of the 15,000 or so people surveyed in German- and French-speaking Switzerland were against a temporary 0.8 percentage point increase in value added tax (VAT) to provide more funds for the army, as shown in a graph published on Tuesday by the German-language version of blick.

An increase in VAT is also being considered to finance the 13th monthly AHV/AVS pension. Respondents were opposed to this measure. Two-thirds of those questioned clearly or somewhat rejected an increase of 0.7 percentage points, as the graph shows. Some 21% of those questioned were“somewhat in favour” and 13%“clearly in favour”.

According to Blick, the Sotomo research institute conducted the survey in collaboration with the newspaper. Between January 31 and February 6, 15,153 people took part. The margin of error is +/- 1.3%.
Rejection from left to right
The clearest opposition to such an increase came from supporters of the Green party, as another graph shows. The majority of both the Social Democratic party (SP) and Swiss People's party (SVP) voters were also clearly opposed to an increase to finance the additional budget for the army and security. The majority of voters in the Radical Liberal and the Liberal Green parties were either somewhat or clearly opposed. Support for the proposal was strongest among Centre party supporters, with 45% clearly or somewhat in favour.
More More Swiss Politics Value added tax: the Swiss government's all-purpose tool
This content was published on Jan 28, 2026 Switzerland has the lowest VAT rate in Europe. Now the Swiss government wants to increase it to pay for national defence.
Read more: Value added tax: the Swiss government's all-purpose

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