Swiss voters OK citizenship steps
But they soundly reject referendum on tax-system overhaul
BASEL, Switzerland — Voters in Switzerland decided Sunday to make it easier for young foreigners to get Swiss citizenship, agreeing to extend to about 25,000 people under age 25 access to the fast-track process now available to foreign spouses of Swiss nationals.
The national statistics office said the “naturalization of third-generation immigrants” initiative passed with 60.4 percent of the vote, paving the way to a simplified path to citizenship for young people whose parents and grandparents have lived in Switzerland for decades.
As with some other European countries, being born in Switzerland doesn’t automatically confer citizenship. While about 25,000 people are estimated to now be eligible for the fast-track process, the referendum’s passage ultimately could be far-reaching in a country where noncitizens make up one-fourth of the population.
The citizenship measure was one of three on the national ballot Sunday. Another carried international implications: Voters handily rejected a corporate tax measure designed to harmonize taxes at a competitive, relatively low rate.
The statistics office said 59.1 percent of voters rejected the measure, which would have scrapped the two-track tax system that offers lower rates to foreign firms to lure investment — potentially at the expense of higher-tax countries of the neighboring European Union.
Experts say the tax initiative’s failure means that overall rates are likely to be set higher, which would be a disincentive to companies that supply jobs and ultimately tax revenue.
Many domestic companies,
meanwhile, could see their tax rates go down.
Critics, including regional government leaders and much of the political left, had said the initiative would deplete tax coffers for an uncertain payoff.
Proponents had countered that the changes were needed to keep competitive a country that has few exportable natural resources and relies heavily on globalized industries such as finance and pharmaceuticals.
U.S.-based machinery giant Caterpillar, which employs 600 people in Switzerland and has its Europe, Africa and Middle East headquarters in Geneva, had supported the tax referendum but expressed “respect” for the public’s will after it was rejected.
“Though this vote creates additional uncertainty in a challenging business environment, we remain confident that Switzerland and the Cantons [regions] will find a consensus allowing to pass a new federal tax law that will support innovation and employment for all economic actors in Switzerland,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
The third-generation foreigners initiative will mean less paperwork, fewer delays and lower fees for anyone under 25 whose parents and grandparents have lived in Switzerland for years but did not go through the time-consuming naturalization process.
Its immediate beneficiaries are mostly people from elsewhere in Europe or from Turkey whose families have been in the Alpine nation for decades, not migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East whose recent arrival in Europe has sparked a backlash from conservatives.
Switzerland, which is not in the 28-nation European Union but is all but surrounded by bloc members, has been taking in foreigners for centuries.
To become a citizen generally requires 12 years of residency, mastery of at least one of Switzerland’s four national languages, and a commitment to honoring the values of the Swiss Constitution, such as equal rights for women and men.
Under Switzerland’s direct democracy, referendums are frequently held to give voters a say on political decisions. A third issue on the national ballot, involving infrastructure spending, passed with 61.9 percent of the vote.
In regional voting, residents in the eastern Graubuenden canton decided against a bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Four years ago, the region rejected a similar referendum about the 2022 Winter Games, which were eventually awarded to Beijing.