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Finance and tax policy

Political article

#ParadisePapers: How Tax Havens Harm the South

«Switzerland is very attractive to enterprises operating on the fringes of the law», says our tax expert Dominik Gross in an interview with the online platform watson.

Political article

UN: Tax Proposal 17 harms human rights

UN Independent Expert Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky has looked into the impacts of Switzerland's fiscal and financial market policies on human rights. His findings are noteworthy. The human rights expert is apprehensive about Tax Proposal 17.

Article as analysis

Exchange of information: Automatically selective

The Swiss Government wants to extend automatic exchange of financial account information on potential tax dodgers selectively to some advanced developing countries. And to G20 members China and Russia. Stormy parliamentary debates lie ahead.

Article as analysis

Corporate Tax Reform III: The new tax loophole

Corporate Tax Reform III was originally meant to eliminate the Swiss corporate tax haven. The notional interest deduction is now thwarting this intention entirely. It is also likely to harm developing countries.

Article as analysis

No more the sour apples!

The Apple tax avoidance scandal and the Federal Council's draft Law on Country-by-Country Reporting show that there is no way around publicly accessible corporate reporting by multinational corporations.

Bankgeheimnis

Article as analysis

Banking secrecy undead

Automatic financial account information exchange is reserved for a club of rich countries. Tax evaders from poor countries will still be able to conceal their money in Swiss accounts in the future.

Article as analysis

Transparent corporations still a long way off?

Country-by-Country Reporting for enterprises is very high on the OECD's agenda. This makes tax transparency an issue for corporate groups in Switzerland as well. Despite this, developing countries (still) have nothing to rejoice about.

Food speculation: need for regulation

Speculation with food generates huge price swings, which can have dramatic consequences especially for the poorest in the global South.

No more potentate funds

In 2014, the Federal Council proposed a law on the treatment of dictators' stolen assets, or potentate funds. At last a good law was adopted in December 2015 despite resistance from right wing parties and some shortcomings.