The European Court of Human Rights has accepted a case that could end Vaud's practice of pursuing ex-spouses for unpaid taxes — a system that overwhelmingly targets women
Between 2019 and 2021, 97% of the 519 people pursued under the canton's fiscal solidarity rule were women left partly responsible for a former partner's debts.
Vaud abolished the rule last year, but only for separations from January onwards — and that retroactive gap is now what the Strasbourg case challenges.
Lawyer and National Councillor Raphaël Mahaim, backed by two women's associations and two victims, argues the system amounts to indirect discrimination.
If Strasbourg rules against Switzerland, closed cases could be reopened — potentially bringing relief to hundreds of Vaud women still carrying inherited debt.
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