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Taxation of married retirees: separate assessment with 10% surcharge upheld

ATA/357/1998Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberJun 9, 1998Confirmed

Open source

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

A married retired couple contested the Federal Tax Administration’s method of separate taxation with a 10% surcharge, arguing unequal treatment and arbitrariness. The court held that some fiscal differences between married couples and concubines must be tolerated under Art. 4 CST. It found that the AFC’s practice remains within admissible limits and is not arbitrary, so the challenge was rejected and the tax practice upheld.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 4 CST; fiscal equality and arbitrariness in the taxation of married couples and concubines; not every differentiation in tax treatment between these categories is unconstitutional. A practice of separate taxation of a married retired couple with a supplementary surcharge may be admissible where the differentiation remains within the limits of constitutionally tolerable unequal treatment and does not amount to arbitrary administration (consid. 1).

Full text

Descripteurs

IMPOT; CONCUBINAGE; CONJOINT; EGALITE DE TRAITEMENT; INTERDICTION DE L'ARBITRAIRE; fin

Normes

CST.4

Résumé

Certaines différences dans le traitement fiscal des couples mariés et des concubins doivent être acceptées (au regard de l'art. 4 CST). La pratique de l'AFC consistant à imposer séparément un couple de retraités marié, puis de majorer la taxation de 10 %, reste dans des limites admissibles.

Keywords

taxationmarried couplescohabitationequal treatmentarbitrarinessretireessurcharge

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether separate taxation of a married retired couple with a 10% increase violates equal treatment compared with concubines.

Extracted holding

The difference in tax treatment remains within constitutionally acceptable limits.

Extracted reasoning

Not every fiscal distinction between married couples and cohabiting partners is prohibited; the challenged administrative practice stays within the permissible range under the Constitution.

Key legal question

Whether the AFC practice is arbitrary.

Extracted holding

The practice is not arbitrary.

Extracted reasoning

The surcharge mechanism for separately taxed married retirees is an admissible administrative solution and does not cross the threshold of arbitrariness.

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