The Swiss Parliament on Friday approved a three-week legislative marathon by endorsing a 0.4-percentage-point increase in value-added tax to fund the country’s 13th state pension, the AHV, Finance Minister Élisabeth Baume-Schneider announced in Bern . The chamber’s final vote capped weeks of cross-party negotiations that had repeatedly stalled over the levy’s distributional impact. Baume-Schneider told reporters the measure now carries a “clear price tag,” warning that without the tax hike the supplementary pension would remain unfunded.

The VAT rise—from 7.7 % to 8.1 %—will take effect on 1 January 2027 and is expected to generate roughly CHF 1.2 billion annually, according to government estimates released in May. The funds will be earmarked exclusively for the AHV, which provides universal retirement benefits. The reform had faced opposition from centre-right parties that argued the tax burden would disproportionately affect lower-income households, but the Social Democrats and Greens secured enough votes to push it through the final session before the summer recess.

In a parallel move, the Dutch cabinet on Friday presented seven alternative designs for a wealth tax on Box 3 assets after lawmakers rejected the original plan for a capital-gains levy. Staatssecretaris Eelco Eerenberg told parliament in The Hague that each option carries a “price tag” in lost investment or administrative complexity, leaving legislators to choose the least distortive route .

Across the EU, inflation pressures persisted. Romania remained the bloc’s outlier with an annual rate nearly three times the European average, while food-price growth stabilised in Estonia despite widening pockets of faster inflation . In Finland, grocery prices continued to climb, prompting the Finnish Food Chain Federation to demand clearer competition rules .

Meanwhile, the Romanian central bank’s decision to reject allegations of ROBOR rate manipulation underscored the political sensitivity of the affair. The lenders’ association warned that any sanctions imposed by the Competition Council could erode public trust in the financial system . In Poland, the lower house passed a windfall tax on fuel companies including Orlen, implementing EU rules aimed at capping extraordinary profits from the energy crisis .

From Berlin to Bucharest, policymakers are balancing fiscal consolidation with social protections, leaving households and businesses to navigate higher levies, volatile energy costs, and tighter credit conditions.

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