Millionaire dies in Aargau How the state benefits from her far too short lottery fortune
An employee from Leuggern AG hits the jackpot in 2018, but her lottery luck is short-lived: she dies of cancer in 2021. The municipality not only benefited from her win during her lifetime. A lot of money is flowing in now too.
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- A waitress hits the Euro Millions jackpot in Aargau in October 2018 and wins almost 184 million francs.
- The woman and her husband stay in the municipality, which is even able to lower its tax rate thanks to the couple's contributions.
- Just three years after her win, the 50-year-old dies of cancer. Her husband follows her six months later.
- In 2023, the municipality of Leuggern collected CHF 2.7 million in inheritance and gift taxes, most of which came from her estate.
- The husband's surviving dependants will also have to pay taxes, with the canton and municipality benefiting once again.
On October 2, 2018, a waitress from Aargau was delighted to win the biggest Euro Millions prize in Switzerland: her ticket, which she bought for CHF 24.50, brought her CHF 183.9 million.
It was a dream come true, but the new multi-millionaire kept her head down: "I want to remain anonymous," she told the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper in 2019 . Will she now move to another canton where she has to pay less tax? "I want to stay here," she emphasizes, no doubt to the delight of the local tax authorities.
Depending on where she lives, up to 70 million in taxes could be due on the almost 184 million, the newspaper calculated at the time. The federal government would collect 21.2 million, the canton of Aargau 23.1 million and a portion - depending on the tax rate and marital status - would go to the municipality.
Multi-millionaire "from humble beginnings"
The lottery winner comes "from humble beginnings" and is down-to-earth. She doesn't even quit her job. She builds a house in the community with her husband, sets up a foundation and plans trips together. The municipality benefits so much from her contributions that it is able to significantly reduce the tax rate.
But her happiness ends all too soon: three years after her windfall, the German-born 50-year-old dies of cancer on September 1, 2021 - and her 60-year-old husband follows her six months later. Thanks to the couple's loyalty, the municipality and canton can once again look forward to millions in taxes.
AG: Inheritance and gift income almost doubled since 2019
Leuggern receives one third and the canton of Aargau two thirds of the income from inheritance and gift tax, according to the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper . In 2023, Leuggern will have received 2.7 million francs and the canton 5.4 million francs, with the majority coming from the estate of the lottery winner.
Incidentally, the spouse's share was tax-free: So after his death, another levy will be due. However, lottery winners are not the only ones who bring in taxes for the canton: Income from inheritance and gift tax has almost doubled since 2019. Income from gifts in particular has increased.