In St-Gingolph VS, taxpayers are under pressure: the municipality requires proof of payments made over the last six years. The citizens are angry.
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A tax dispute weighs on the Valais commune of St-Gingolph. At the end of 2024, residents were asked in writing to provide proof of tax payment for the last six years. The municipal administration had previously noted that many amounts were either marked as open or accounted for in an unclear manner. Many citizens are now faced with sometimes significant payment reminders.
The unpaid amounts concern the years 2018 to 2023. While some citizens only have to pay a few hundred additional francs, others are charged an amount of several tens of thousands of francs. “For weeks, people have been lining up in front of the municipal administration to prove their good faith,” explained a resident to “Walliser Bote”. Receivables also include invoices that have already been paid, but are marked as “open” in municipal systems. Other tax notices were apparently never sent.
Citizens express strong criticism of the municipal administration. A resident describes the situation as a “puppet theater” and asks: “What is really happening in our administration?” The former president of the municipality, Damien Roch, who was in office until the end of 2024, certainly shows understanding for the anger of the residents, but defends the procedure: “The unpaid amounts must be collected”.
Administrative error and lack of staff
Roch attributes the errors to a combination of factors. The frequent changes in the position of treasurer and the reduced staff of the municipal administration would have led to a loss of information. “With 3.1 full-time positions, the administration is in high demand,” underlines Roch. The lack of clarity in the accounts would have been noticed as early as October 2024, but we would have deliberately waited so as not to influence the municipal council elections.
Roch further explained that he had taken steps to address the errors before his term ended. His successor, Gérald Derivaz, however, criticizes the communication with citizens: “It would have been wise to attach an explanation to the people concerned. The current procedure gives the impression of a lack of professionalism.
Derivaz plans to improve processes within the tax administration and quickly clarify outstanding issues. He confirms that the problems with collecting taxes in St-Gingolph are not isolated cases: “I myself have received tax invoices on several occasions up to a year and a half after the deadline.”
