World News for Students of English

04-12-2025 07:00

In a recent national referendum, Switzerland clearly rejected two far-reaching proposals: extending compulsory national service to women and introducing a national inheritance and gift tax on the super-rich.

The compulsory service initiative, which aimed to strengthen national security and gender equality by making military, civil defense, or alternative service mandatory for all Swiss citizens, regardless of gender, received less than 20 percent support in most cantons. Critics argued that the extension would place additional burdens on women, who already perform a significant proportion of unpaid care work, and warned of high costs and economic losses.

The second proposal, backed by the Young Socialists, sought to levy a tax on wealth transfers over 50 million francs to fund climate protection, following the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Although only about 2,500 people would have been affected, the initiative faced strong opposition. Critics and federal authorities warned that such a tax could significantly reduce Switzerland’s attractiveness for internationally mobile assets, making succession planning for family businesses more difficult and causing some wealthy individuals to consider moving out of the country.

Difficult words: far-reaching (having a broad, significant, or extensive influence or effect that will be felt over a long time or across many areas), mandatory (required by a law, rule, or regulation), canton (a small territorial district or division of a country, especially in Switzerland), levy (to officially impose or collect a tax, fee, or fine).

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