MPs in Switzerland’s lower house, the National Council, have approved a right-wing motion that would require foreign nationals residing in the country to pay a fee to contribute to the country’s security costs.
On June 4th, deputies accepted – by a vote of 105 to 82 – the motion to this effect submitted by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
The tax would be modelled on the existing exemption tax for military service, which is imposed on Swiss men who do not complete mandatory army or civil defence service.
It amounts to 3 percent of the annual taxable income, with a minimum payment of 400 francs a year.
The tax is payable for up to 11 years between the ages of 19 and 37.
MPs said that the same parameters would be used to calculate the amount of tax owed, as well as the duration of the obligation to pay.
Unequal treatment
The reason for this measure, according to SVP deputy Mauro Tuena, is that some 2.4 million foreign nationals who live in Switzerland benefit from the country’s security without contributing anything to it.
This creates inequality between foreign nationals and Swiss citizens, he pointed out.
That’s because the latter are required to ensure Switzerland’s security by performing military or civil defence service, or else by paying the exemption tax – but foreigners are not required to do the same.
The government does not agree with this approach, however.
According to Defence Minister Martin Pfister, such tax would only be justified if foreign nationals were also required to serve in the Swiss military but chose to forego this duty.
He added that foreign residents already contribute to the country’s security with their taxes.
The Council of States still has to vote on – and approve – the proposal before it is taken any further.
‘Infrastructure tax’
The idea of a separate tax for foreign residents is not entirely new, however.
Back in 2023, MP Andrea Caroni – also from the Swiss People’s Party – filed a similar motion.
It argued that immigrants take advantage of Switzerland’s excellent infrastructure and other benefits, and should therefore pay for it.
A similar measure was proposed in 2025 by deputy Simon Michel from the Liberal-Radical Party (FDP).
But a report commissioned by the Federal Council into the feasibility of imposing such a tax – or ‘entry fee’, as it was also called – found that “the only option without amending the Constitution would be to introduce an incentive-based tax, the revenue from which would be redistributed to the population and the economy.”
However, applying this tax to nationals of EU and EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) “would be contrary” to the terms of the free movement of people agreement that Switzerland concluded with the European Union.
According to the Federal Council, the report “does not identify any demonstrable economic benefits to Switzerland;” not only that, but “the introduction of an immigration tax would face numerous legal obstacles.”
READ MORE: Switzerland examines much-talked about immigration tax
