Swiss Voters Reject Replacing VAT with a Carbon Tax on Non-Renewable Energy

On 8 march 2015, Swiss voters voted against replacing value added tax (VAT) with a new carbon tax on non-renewable energy. The proposal, introduced by the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland, was for a revenue-neutral replacement of VAT in order to promote lower carbon emissions and reduce global warming.

The tax would have applied to oil, gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, coal, and other non-renewable sources, while renewable sources such as solar and wind would have been exempt. A simila…