Basel Stadt Wealth Tax Cases

Basel-Stadt Wealth Tax: Cases & Worked Examples

Illustrative computations of Basel-Stadt Wealth Tax cases showing how Basel-Stadt’s progressive wealth tax and differing local tax loads in Basel, Riehen and Bettingen affect typical taxpayer profiles.

Basel-Stadt applies a progressive wealth tax with rates roughly between 4.5‰ and 9‰ of taxable net wealth, after personal allowances (approx. CHF 75,000 for singles and CHF 150,000 for married couples). Above certain thresholds, the marginal rate is among the highest in Switzerland.

The canton also operates a wealth tax brake that can, in specific circumstances, cap the wealth tax at around 0.5% of taxable wealth when the combined tax on wealth and its yield becomes excessive. In Riehen and Bettingen, local tax rates (Steuerfüsse) slightly modify the overall burden compared with the city of Basel.

All numbers rounded; church tax ignored. Rates and factors are indicative for 2025-style planning, not a substitute for official calculations.

Case A — Single Professional in Basel (City)

Commune: Basel (city; base Basel-Stadt tariff, no separate municipal add-on)
Assets: CHF 1,200,000 (listed securities & cash)
Liabilities: none
Allowance: CHF 75,000 (single)

Net wealth	CHF 1,200,000
Less allowance	− CHF 75,000
Taxable net wealth	CHF 1,125,000
Cantonal wealth tax (progressive tariff)	≈ 0.70% → ≈ CHF 7,900
Wealth tax due	≈ CHF 7,900
Effective rate	≈ 0.66% of total net wealth

Observation: At roughly CHF 1.1m taxable wealth, Basel’s progressive tariff already produces an effective rate significantly above low-tax cantons like Zug or Schwyz.

Case B — Married Couple with Two Children in Riehen

Commune: Riehen (slightly lower overall burden than Basel city due to local tax rate)
Assets: CHF 3,000,000 (family home + portfolios)
Liabilities: CHF 1,000,000 mortgage
Allowances: CHF 200,000 (married + children, rounded)

Net wealth	CHF 2,000,000
Less allowances	− CHF 200,000
Taxable wealth	CHF 1,800,000
Cantonal wealth tax (Tarif B)	≈ 0.55% → ≈ CHF 9,900
Indicative Riehen factor	≈ ×1.20 (moderately higher than city share)
Estimated total wealth tax	≈ CHF 11,900
Effective rate	≈ 0.60% of net wealth

Planning angle: The mortgage directly reduces taxable wealth; the local tax rate in Riehen slightly moderates the overall burden compared with what a similar family might face in the city of Basel.

Case C — Entrepreneur with Private Company Shares in Bettingen

Commune: Bettingen (wealthy small commune with its own tax rate)
Unlisted shares: CHF 4,000,000 (practitioner-method valuation)
Other assets: CHF 1,000,000 (cash & listed portfolios)
Liabilities: CHF 2,000,000 (loans tied partly to the business)
Filing status: Married, no children

Net wealth	CHF 3,000,000
Less allowances	− CHF 150,000
Taxable wealth	CHF 2,850,000
Cantonal wealth tax (Tarif B)	≈ 0.60% → ≈ CHF 17,100
Indicative Bettingen factor	≈ ×1.15 (local tax share)
Total wealth tax (before brake)	≈ CHF 19,700
Effective rate	≈ 0.66% of net wealth

At very high wealth levels and low portfolio yield, the Basel-Stadt wealth tax brake may cap the burden closer to ≈0.5% of taxable wealth, subject to conditions.

Planning angle: For entrepreneurs, the key drivers are the valuation of private participations and the local tax rate. Regularly updated practitioner-method valuations and robust documentation are essential.

Case D — Nonresident Owning an Apartment in Basel (City)

Tax nexus: Nonresident with Basel-Stadt property only
Property value: CHF 1,300,000 (wealth-tax value)
Mortgage: CHF 800,000 (loan economically tied to property)
Commune: Basel (no separate municipal tax authority)
Other Swiss assets: none

Swiss-situs net wealth	CHF 500,000
Cantonal wealth tax (Tarif A)	≈ 0.55% → ≈ CHF 2,750
Estimated wealth tax	≈ CHF 2,750
Effective rate on Swiss-situs wealth	≈ 0.55%

Tip: Only debt economically linked to the Basel property is deductible here. Global assets and liabilities may still be relevant for rate-setting or taxation in the country of residence.

Case E — Comparison: Basel City vs. Riehen vs. Bettingen

Single taxpayer with CHF 2,000,000 taxable net wealth (after allowances and debts)

	Basel (city)	Riehen	Bettingen
Cantonal wealth tax	≈ CHF 13,500	≈ CHF 13,500	≈ CHF 13,500
Indicative local factor	× 1.00	× 1.20	× 1.15
Total wealth tax	≈ CHF 13,500	≈ CHF 16,200	≈ CHF 15,500
Effective rate (on taxable wealth)	≈ 0.68%	≈ 0.81%	≈ 0.78%
Annual difference	Spread of roughly CHF 2,700 per year between lowest and highest at identical taxable wealth

Note: Basel-Stadt is structurally a high-wealth-tax canton. Intra-canton differences exist, but for larger portfolios the bigger levers are asset allocation, leverage, income yield and potential use of the wealth tax brake.

Key Takeaways

Basel-Stadt is among the higher-wealth-tax cantons, with effective burdens often in the 0.5–0.8% range of taxable wealth at higher levels.
Personal allowances (CHF 75k / 150k) make the canton relatively benign at modest wealth levels but quickly less competitive beyond about CHF 1m.
Riehen and Bettingen slightly adjust the overall burden via their local tax rates, but Basel-Stadt as a whole remains a high-tax environment compared with central-Swiss cantons.
Mortgages and other deductible liabilities reduce taxable net wealth directly; for Basel-Stadt, this can save several thousand francs per year at higher wealth levels.
The wealth tax brake may reduce the burden in low-yield situations, but it requires case-by-case analysis and documentation of asset yields.
Entrepreneurs should focus on the valuation of private participations and on coordinating Basel-Stadt wealth tax with federal and cross-border income-tax planning.