johncayley
New member
Hello all,
I am going to touch on the topic of the mandatory military service for male Swiss citizens which I don't believe has been talked about previously on this forum.
It is mandatory for Swiss men to do the military service between the age of 18-25. If you were in employment before you start your military service you are paid 80% of your salary which is pretty good considering you will not need to pay for health insurance and rent/food on the weekdays you are in the army so you could save a lot. If you do not do the military service you can pay a 3% tax on your taxable income every year for 11 years or until you reach the age of 37. Now, I don't believe you can simply say no to doing the military service but people will come up with excuses why they are unfit to serve and you can defer till the age of 25 when you will be considered too old to serve. This 3% seems quite a lot especially if you take into account the returns you could make if this was invested over an 11 year period. Although, I have heard the army can be a waste of time and will mostly likely get less than 6 hours of sleep a night, you can make friends for life and learn hard skills such as acquiring a truck driving license. Also, if you choose the option of not doing the full military service in one go you come back every year for 3 weeks, which is also paid at 80% of your salary and is a sort of "holiday" where you get to see your old friends. What would you choose: military service or 3% tax?
Furthermore, I have read some articles that state if you legally change your gender to female, you avoid the military service and tax completely, as of January 2022 it is easier to change your gender with the civil registry, costs about CHF 75 and there is no need for a medical certificate. Theoretically, people could use this loop hole, however I doubt in reality very many people would be willing to change their gender, even if it is just on paper, to avoid doing military service or paying tax but it is an interesting question.
Thanks!
I am going to touch on the topic of the mandatory military service for male Swiss citizens which I don't believe has been talked about previously on this forum.
It is mandatory for Swiss men to do the military service between the age of 18-25. If you were in employment before you start your military service you are paid 80% of your salary which is pretty good considering you will not need to pay for health insurance and rent/food on the weekdays you are in the army so you could save a lot. If you do not do the military service you can pay a 3% tax on your taxable income every year for 11 years or until you reach the age of 37. Now, I don't believe you can simply say no to doing the military service but people will come up with excuses why they are unfit to serve and you can defer till the age of 25 when you will be considered too old to serve. This 3% seems quite a lot especially if you take into account the returns you could make if this was invested over an 11 year period. Although, I have heard the army can be a waste of time and will mostly likely get less than 6 hours of sleep a night, you can make friends for life and learn hard skills such as acquiring a truck driving license. Also, if you choose the option of not doing the full military service in one go you come back every year for 3 weeks, which is also paid at 80% of your salary and is a sort of "holiday" where you get to see your old friends. What would you choose: military service or 3% tax?
Furthermore, I have read some articles that state if you legally change your gender to female, you avoid the military service and tax completely, as of January 2022 it is easier to change your gender with the civil registry, costs about CHF 75 and there is no need for a medical certificate. Theoretically, people could use this loop hole, however I doubt in reality very many people would be willing to change their gender, even if it is just on paper, to avoid doing military service or paying tax but it is an interesting question.
Thanks!