I had visited the Permanance in 2013, they dont do much. They just listed and give you 5 minutes of reading from the Code des Obligation. I walked away with no solution and 50- cash out of my wallet. They will ask it upfront.

but maybe you will be more lucky

http://www.permanence-juridique-geneve.ch

Would be great to find an accociation similiar to Asloca, for the subject of Employment disputes.

If anyone knows for Geneva and Lausanne, im sure many will appreciate.

I don’t know of a lawyer but has your husband thought of contacting his Staff Association?  There may well be other employees in a similar situation who have been able to “negotiate” the amount of tax to pay.  For example, that he is the main bread-winner in the family and your salary is a “contribution” to the household budget.

That said, legal advice on the wording of the claim would certainly

be advisable.

All the best, R.

Thanks! However I am not looking for a lawyer to contest anything (I am one myself!), but rather an accountant to help me prepare my tax report in the first place. It's the first time that I have to do that since the years before, we were not married and I was taxed "à la source" by my employer without regard to my then-boyfriend's salary. Now that we are married his earnings need to be taken into account even if he works at the UN and therefore does not pay income tax himself. Since I am not familiar with Swiss tax law and that our situation is a bit peculiar I just want to make sure that I prepare my tax report correctly and that we get as many deductions as possible.

Good idea Ritchie to contact the staff association though. We'll check it out!

Hi Justine, I will send you information on an accountant by PM, but I am certain that the staff association as well as Human Resources at the UN agency where your spouse works will have all the necessary information. The reason is, as you may be aware, that it was only in recent years that the tax policy exempting UN employees and those of other international organizations from paying Swiss taxes was modified to require that their spouses, who are not tax-exempt, continue to pay taxes on their income only, but at a tax rate reflecting their combined income, not only their own, as previously. This forced UN agencies HR (payroll) and staff associations to become familiar with Swiss tax code and what items in addition to salary (insurance, benefits, allowances, etc) have to be taken in account for the figure to be tallied. In our agency, they paid the difference in increased household taxes for one year, so HR and finances/payroll made sure they got the policy right. I imagine other UN agencies did the same.

If you need additional information after talking to them, they may also be able to recommend an accountant.

@ JR M - Hi, Would you mind sharing this accountant's information with me as well please. I hope he's an English speaker... 

Thanks!

Hi JR M - thanks for the insight. Would you mind PM-ing me the contact details please?

Many thanks,

David 

Hello JR M,

Do you know if this still holds good in 2023/24? Will the spouse still be taxed at a higher tax bracket (based on the combined income) even if the other one works at the UN and does not pay any tax?

Thanks

This is insane. Why is your husbands salary tax exempt?