Vaud's tax administration misapplied a wealthy-taxpayer tax shield for 13 years, costing the canton a theoretical CHF 202 million
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What happened
An investigation ordered by the canton of Vaud found that the cantonal tax shield (bouclier fiscal) was misapplied from 2009 to 2021. Of about 2,793 taxpayers who received it, 1,847 (roughly two-thirds) should not have, and the canton puts the shortfall at CHF 202 million, a figure Finance Minister Christelle Luisier calls theoretical. Le Temps reported the error was known at the latest by 2018 and corrected only in 2022; the canton changed the rules in 2022 and again in late 2024. The cantonal prosecutor opened a criminal investigation in January 2026 into how the unlawful practice arose, and the parliament's Commission de gestion opened an inquiry in March 2026. The canton says the money cannot legally be reclaimed, and the government promised an action plan by the end of summer 2026.
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- RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse)
La mauvaise application du bouclier fiscal aurait fait perdre 202 millions à l'État de Vaud de 2009 à 2021.
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