Uri Wealth Tax Cases

Uri Wealth Tax: Cases & Worked Examples

Illustrative computations showing how Uri’s very low wealth tax and communal multipliers work in practice. In many everyday situations, the annual charge is modest or even zero.

The canton of Uri is one of Switzerland’s lowest-wealth-tax jurisdictions. Wealth tax is levied at a comparatively low simple rate (around 1‰ of taxable net wealth), and this simple tax is multiplied by the cantonal and communal tax rates (Steuerfuss). In many communes, the combined rate for wealth tax ends up in the ≈ 2.0–2.4‰ range – roughly 0.20–0.24% of taxable net wealth.

At the same time, Uri grants generous deductions and allowances, so that modest levels of net wealth frequently generate no wealth tax at all or only a very small bill. Debts such as mortgages are fully taken into account, and pension assets (pillar 2 / pillar 3a) are excluded from the wealth tax base as in other cantons.

The examples below use a simplified planning model: we assume a 1.0‰ simple wealth tax on taxable net wealth and an indicative overall factor of ×2.2 (cantonal plus communal multiplier, without church tax) for typical communes such as Altdorf or Erstfeld. Real-world municipal factors vary and should always be checked against current Uri tax tables and the official calculator.

All numbers rounded; church tax ignored. Deductions and thresholds are simplified for planning illustration. For official computations, use the Uri tax calculator and cantonal tariff tables.

Case A — Single Professional in Altdorf

Commune: Altdorf (cantonal capital; typical Uri tax level)
Assets: CHF 600,000 (securities & cash)
Liabilities: CHF 50,000 (consumer loan)
Assumed allowance / shielded amount: ≈ CHF 200,000 (simplified)

Gross assets	CHF 600,000
Less liabilities	− CHF 50,000
Net wealth	CHF 550,000
Less allowance (simplified)	− CHF 200,000
Taxable net wealth	CHF 350,000
Simple wealth tax (1.0‰)	≈ CHF 350
Indicative Uri factor (Altdorf)	≈ ×2.2
Wealth tax due	≈ CHF 770
Effective rate (on net wealth)	≈ 0.14%

Observation: Even with more than half a million francs of net wealth, the annual wealth tax bill remains well below 1‰ of total net wealth. Many smaller portfolios would pay nothing at all.

Case B — Married Couple with Children in Schattdorf

Commune: Schattdorf (larger commune near Altdorf)
Assets: CHF 1,800,000 (primary residence + investment portfolio)
Liabilities: CHF 900,000 mortgage
Filing status: Married, two children
Assumed allowances / family deductions: ≈ CHF 400,000 (simplified)

Gross assets	CHF 1,800,000
Less liabilities (mortgage)	− CHF 900,000
Net wealth	CHF 900,000
Less family-related shields	− CHF 400,000
Taxable wealth	CHF 500,000
Simple wealth tax (1.0‰)	≈ CHF 500
Indicative Schattdorf factor	≈ ×2.2
Estimated wealth tax	≈ CHF 1,100
Effective rate (on net wealth)	≈ 0.12%

Planning angle: In Uri, mortgages and family-related allowances mean that even a household with a seven-figure balance sheet can face only a four-figure wealth tax bill. The income tax side is typically more important than wealth tax for such families.

Case C — Entrepreneur with Holiday-Region Business (Andermatt)

Commune: Andermatt (tourism-focused, slightly higher overall factor in some years)
Unlisted shares: CHF 3,000,000 (local operating company)
Other assets: CHF 500,000 (cash & securities)
Liabilities: CHF 1,800,000 (business loans & mortgage)
Filing status: Married, no children
Assumed allowance / shielded amount: ≈ CHF 250,000 (simplified)

Gross assets	CHF 3,500,000
Less liabilities	− CHF 1,800,000
Net wealth	CHF 1,700,000
Less allowance	− CHF 250,000
Taxable wealth	CHF 1,450,000
Simple wealth tax (1.0‰)	≈ CHF 1,450
Indicative Andermatt factor	≈ ×2.3
Total wealth tax	≈ CHF 3,335
Effective rate (on net wealth)	≈ 0.20%

Private company shares are assumed to be valued under a standard practitioner method. In reality, specific reliefs or valuation adjustments may reduce the taxable base further.

Planning angle: For entrepreneurs in Uri, the annual wealth tax cost on business assets is modest compared with many other cantons. The focus is often on income tax optimisation and financing structure, rather than on wealth tax.

Case D — Nonresident Owning Alpine Apartment in Realp

Tax nexus: Nonresident with Uri property only
Property value: CHF 900,000 (wealth tax value)
Mortgage: CHF 650,000 (loan tied to the property)
Commune: Realp (small alpine commune)
Other Swiss assets: none
Assumed allowance allocation: effectively small; simplified by ignoring personal allowance

Swiss-situs net wealth (Uri)	CHF 250,000
Allowance treatment	Ignored for simplicity (conservative)
Taxable Uri wealth	CHF 250,000
Simple wealth tax (1.0‰)	≈ CHF 250
Indicative Realp factor	≈ ×2.3
Estimated wealth tax	≈ CHF 575
Effective rate on Swiss-situs wealth	≈ 0.23%

Tip: For nonresidents, Uri taxes only Uri-situs wealth (typically real estate). The portion of debt that is economically attributable to the Uri property is deductible. In many cases, the resulting wealth tax charge is small compared with ongoing running costs of a holiday home.

Case E — Comparison: Altdorf vs. Erstfeld vs. Low-Tax Commune

Single taxpayer with CHF 1,000,000 taxable net wealth (after allowances and debts)

	Altdorf	Erstfeld	Lower-tax commune (example)
Simple wealth tax (1.0‰ of CHF 1,000,000)	CHF 1,000
Indicative total wealth tax factor	≈ ×2.2	≈ ×2.4	≈ ×2.0
Total wealth tax	≈ CHF 2,200	≈ CHF 2,400	≈ CHF 2,000
Effective rate (on taxable wealth)	≈ 0.22%	≈ 0.24%	≈ 0.20%
Annual difference	Spread of only a few hundred francs per year between higher- and lower-tax communes at CHF 1m of taxable wealth

Note: Because Uri’s wealth tax level is low overall, intra-canton commune choice matters less than in high-tax cantons. For many taxpayers, the key drivers are the level of net wealth above the shielded threshold and the amount of deductible debt.

Key Takeaways

Uri is among the Swiss cantons with the lowest wealth tax burden.
Indicative combined wealth tax rates are often just 0.20–0.24% of taxable net wealth, depending on the commune.
Generous deductions and the exclusion of pension assets mean that many households pay little or no wealth tax.
Mortgages and other debts reduce the wealth tax base one-to-one, making leverage a powerful planning lever for property owners.
For entrepreneurs, Uri’s low rates make the annual carrying cost of business wealth comparatively modest.
For nonresidents, only Uri-situs wealth is taxed; with typical debt levels, the resulting wealth tax is often small in the context of overall holding costs.
Compared with other cantons, income tax planning usually dominates over wealth tax optimisation in Uri.