In its session of 29 May 2017, the Council of States (contrary to the National Council) spoke out in favour of taxing winnings from money games in excess of one million francs.
According to the Federal Council's business (15,069), the Federal Council wants to regulate money games in Switzerland in a coherent and up-to-date manner in a single law. To this end, on 21 October 2015 it adopted a dispatch with a corresponding draft law for the attention of parliament.
Differences between the two councils exist in particular in the taxation of winnings from money games. In contrast to the Federal Council and the National Council (cf. the minutes of 15 March 2017), the Legal Commission of the Council of States does not wish to generally exempt winnings from gambling from tax and, within the framework of the adjustment of the differences in the Money Gaming Act, requested its Council to stick to its model, according to which such winnings should be taxed from a tax-free amount of one million francs (cf. the media release of the Legal Commission of the Council of States of 28 March 2017).
At its meeting on 29 May 2017, the Council of States approved the proposal of its commission by 30 votes to 12 with 0 abstentions, thus maintaining the taxation of profits above a tax-free allowance of one million Swiss francs. This means that there is still a difference with the National Council on this point.
The minutes of the Council of States can be found here (see also the NZZ article of 29 May 2017 on the vote of the Council of States).
