"Switzerland-EU paradox"

Relations between Switzerland and the EU in the area of taxation are often tense, although Swiss regulations often serve as a model. EU plans to introduce a nationwide financial transaction tax failed in 2012, while Switzerland has had such a tax since 1973. Some EU countries used stolen bank data for tax purposes, which Switzerland criticized, although the Swiss Federal Supreme Court had already allowed this in 2007. Switzerland protects its locational advantages, which is why it often takes a critical view of EU regulations. An automatic exchange of information will be introduced in the EU from 2017 and in Switzerland from 2018, although Switzerland has practiced this domestically since 2010. Comprehensive tax harmonization within the EU has become unlikely due to the accession of Eastern European countries. Instead, the EU is working on a common corporate tax base, while Switzerland already introduced a tax harmonization law in 1993.

Topics in the publication

• Financial transaction tax
• Utilization of stolen data
• Swiss-EU paradox
• Automatic exchange of information
• Tax harmonization