Switzerland votes 'yes' to being for corporate tax home for big business

International News

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Switzerland approved an overhaul of the corporate tax code, choosing to stay an attractive base for companies like Procter & Gamble, Vitol SA and Caterpillar even at the expense of a short-term drop in fiscal revenue.

The change was approved by 66 per cent of voters, according to a projection published by Swiss television SRF. A poll by gfs.bern had suggested it would pass.

The outcome, which ends years of wrangling and a failed attempt at an overhaul two years ago, ensures Switzerland remains a low tax domicile for companies and still is compliant with international rules. The new system will consist of deductions on profit from patents and R&D expenses, to make up for having to get rid of the breaks now accorded multinationals. That’s because they no longer are in line with Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development rules.
A failure to pass the reform could have sparked an exodus of firms to low-tax locales like Ireland or Singapore because in Switzerland they would’ve been taxed at the same rate as local companies — which in Geneva is currently as high as 24.16 per cent.

Chart That could have been devastating for the economy. Multinationals generate about a quarter of employment and a third of gross domestic product, according to a study by McKinsey and industry group SwissHoldings. They also responsible for a big chunk of the federal government’s revenue from taxing firms’ profits.


 Cantons are also taking action on taxation. The cantons of Basel City, home to pharmaceutical giants Novartis and Roche, has lowered its levy on companies, as has the French-speaking canton of Vaud.