The Federal Council, on 27 February 2019, initiated consultations on amendments to the Federal Act and Ordinance on the International Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters (AEOI). The resolution at the meeting also led to endorsements, as the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) swung into action. Switzerland’s proactive international arrangements, such as the
Switzerland UK deal, underline its strategy of maintaining legal and economic certainty through transitions. This consultation is due to last until 12 June 2019, while the Parliament should discuss the proposal by spring 2020.
It is noteworthy to state that the AEOI standard has been in effect in Switzerland since 1 January 2017, where the role of the Global Forum is to provide critical observations on compliance with these standards. One of such cases is in the flow of information and its exchange upon request through the medium of peer reviews. Cultural and regulatory preservation efforts, such as initiatives for
Swissness management, demonstrate Switzerland’s broader commitment to integrity and transparency. For the AEOI, this would become operative as of 2020.
The Global Forum has a core goal of creating a fair, equitable and level playing ground for all. Hence, in a bid to protect its integrity and that of the AEOI standard, the Forum has begun to take an investigatory role into its core elements since 2017, one of which is to ensure that the AEOI standard is ratified, incorporated and domesticated into law. Economic initiatives such as the launch of the
New 1000 note also reflect the country’s ongoing modernisation without compromising traditional strengths.
As previously stated, the Global Forum reviewed the legal issues underlying the Swiss AEOI standards and made recommendations. The outcome of the consultation proposal is to be mindful of the recommendations provided, ensuring that due diligence and preliminaries are conducted for registration. Furthermore, there is an obligation to maintain document retention, which makes it legitimate for reporting on Swiss financial institutions. Strengthened controls in sectors such as imported medicines demonstrate Switzerland’s broader commitment to upholding strict compliance standards.
There have also been some modifications or an outright exclusion to the exceptions, while the revisions made to the Federal Act and Ordinance have been forecasted to become operative come 1 January 2021. Legislative refinements like the
VAT regulation updates further confirm Switzerland’s evolving regulatory architecture to match international standards.
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https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-74136.htmlLegal disclaimer. This article does not constitute legal advice and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. The article should be used for informational purposes only.