The first session of the parliament in 2026, from March 2nd to March 20th, yielded some decisions that are bound to impact the lives of Switzerland’s population, including foreign residents.
Transit tax
This is one measure that will affect exclusively people living abroad.
Its aim is to reduce peak traffic on the national road network with a traffic-dependent transit fee.
According to MP Marco Chiesa from the Swiss People’s Party, who instigated this move in the Parliament, “our national roads, especially the major Alpine routes, are congested with transit traffic that brings no benefit to our country. It is unacceptable that Switzerland continues to suffer the consequences of this parasitic traffic.”
As this motion was accepted by both chambers of the Parliament – the National Council and the Council of States – it will now become law, though before it does, a number of ‘unknowns’ must still be fine-tuned.
For instance, what constitutes ‘transit’ and what constitutes ‘stay’ would have to be clearly defined.
It also remains unclear how the registration of border crossings will technically work, and how the amounts of tax will be set and collected.
READ MORE: What we know about Switzerland’s new transit tax for foreign drivers
50-franc ER fee
The National Council has narrowly approved a bill spearheaded by the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to introduce a tax aimed at discouraging people from going to the hospital for minor ailments.
They argue that too many people show up at emergency rooms with mild symptoms that don’t require urgent care but should be treated by family doctors instead.
They also say such visits not only unnecessarily use hospitals’ resources, but contribute to the already very high healthcare costs as well.
However, children and pregnant women would be exempt from this rule, as would those who come with life-threatening conditions or those who require hospitalisation.
The proposal will be debated by the Council of States during one of the future parliamentary sessions.
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Double-barrelled surnames
This used to be allowed in Switzerland until 2013, but then the law was changed, so current regulations prohibit spouses from using a double surname.
However, after years of negotiations, the two chambers have finalised the reform of name law.
Future spouses will be able to adopt a double surname if they wish, and designate one of their family names as their “family name.”
Collective labour agreements (CLAs) will take precedence over cantonal minimum wages
Following the National Council, the Council of States has also approved a proposal to this effect.
Currently, a CLA (also called a collective bargaining agreement) can only be extended if it doesn’t conflict with federal or cantonal law.
However, the new measure will change the current practice, setting minimum wages in CLAs.
MPs also ruled out any pay cuts that would reduce salaries below the current minimum wage in the cantons where these thresholds exist.
READ MORE: What is a Swiss collective bargaining agreement — and how could it benefit you?
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Phone operators ordered to act against fraudulent calls
The Council of States deputies have approved measures to combat scam calls.
The aim is to limit the number of scammers who use real-looking but fake Swiss numbers registered under false identities.
Specifically, they demanded that phone operators block unidentified numbers.
Telecoms will therefore have to take action to stop unsolicited calls, increasingly frequent on private phone numbers.
They will also be required to block the numbers of subscribers whose identities are not clearly established.
The matter is now in the hands of the National Council.
New restructuring procedure for people in debt
Over-indebted individuals should be able to clear their debts by declaring bankruptcy.
Following the National Council, the Council of States has also approved a bill to this effect.
It aims to allow these individuals to wipe the slate clean by declaring bankruptcy. Their debts will be discharged after a three-year period, provided they live on the bare minimum and pay the remainder of their income to their creditors.
Some conditions are, however, attached to this ‘relief’ procedure – for instance, the possibility of using it is limited to once in a lifetime.
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Strengthening Swiss neutrality
Legislators have discussed the initiative spearheaded by the SVP, as well as another right-wing group, Pro-Schweiz, which is calling for protecting Switzerland’s tradition of neutrality.
Concretely, they are seeking to define neutrality in legal terms and enshrine them in the Constitution, to prevent the government from adopting sanctions against other countries or taking sides in armed conflicts.
MPs decided that the initiative should be put to a referendum as is, without a counter-proposal.
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What happens next?
The measures that have been accepted by both the National Council and the Council of States will be passed on to the Federal Council to prepare a draft bill.
Those that have been approved by only one chamber must next be greenlighted by the other chamber as well – approval of both is needed for a motion to become law.
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