GA 1st Class (Partly tax deductible)?

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Every year when I do my tax return, I of course, add the cost of my GA 1 year card for deduction purposes and the return states it's only tax deductible for 2nd class travel.

The trains are getting more and more crowded so I'm thinking of maybe getting a 1st class 1 year GA card. So, before doing this, I'm wondering if I can deduct the cost of what the second class GA card costs even though I'd be purchasing a 1st class pass?

I have so far not been asked to show proof of purchasing the card (my work place is 100Km from my home so I guess that's proof in itself).

I would like to hear from someone who's actually doing this and especially to know if it's allowed?

2
From here ...

3
Which canton? It's almost certainly dependent on that...

In the case of SG, yes what you suggest is acceptable, you can claim for the equivalent 2nd class cost.

4
for fear of stating the obvious.

I would send an email to the tax office orn call them.

At least in my case they have always been very friendly and happily told me stuff that i probably wouldn't have worked out by myself.

5
Without any reference, in canton Zurich you can deduct w/o proof what a respective monthly pass would cost.

In canton St. Gallen the deduction is capped at the price of the 2nd class GA.

http://www.tagblatt.ch/ostschweiz/st...122380,4427447

6
Yes, good point - so if you buy a more restricted first class pass (e.g. ZVV all zones) you can claim all of it as it's less than 3860 for a 2nd class GA.

But note also that federal tax relief cap is 3000

SG rules here: https://www.steuern.sg.ch/content/da...File/039_3.pdf

Of course OP is most likely not in SG - we don't normally count as "in the mountains" in Switzerland!

7
Just moved to FR (on the hilly side)...