Parliament has vetoed plans to tax ships based on tonnage.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss parliament has vetoed plans to tax shipping freight based on tonnage and a ship’s loading capacity. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives agreed with the Senate to scrap the proposal.
Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here.
With 108 votes in favour, 75 against and two abstentions, the House of Representatives followed the proposal of the majority of its Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation.
The decision represents a u-turn: in the winter of 2022, the proposal to introduce a tonnage tax on ocean-going vessels had some parliamentary support.
More
More
Landlocked Switzerland charts new maritime course
This content was published on
Switzerland has adopted the foundations of a plan to revive the fortunes its flagging ocean-going merchant navy fleet.
However, concerns about federal finances and the constitutional legality of the bill played a key role in the final decision. The financial impact of the new tax system was unclear despite repeated requests from the responsible committee, said Centre Party politician Leo Müller.
In 2016, parliament had voted in favour of creating the option of taxing Swiss deep-sea shipping companies based on the loading capacity of ships. This would replace taxation based on the actual profit or loss generated. It instructed the Federal Council to make a proposal for implementation.
Had the proposed new regulation been passed, the average tax burden for the shipping companies concerned would have been lighter than it is today.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
The majority of Swiss respondents painted a negative picture of US President Donald Trump, according to a survey. Women were even more critical of him than men.
Controversial Russian soprano Anna Netrebko returns to Zurich
This content was published on
Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who is said to be close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, to perform at the Zurich Opera House.
This content was published on
Multiple births following artificial insemination in Switzerland have fallen sharply over the last 20 years, shrinking from 17.4% in 2002 to 2.8% in 2023.
This content was published on
Three independent UN experts call on Switzerland and other countries to redouble efforts a year after a ECHR ruling in favour of Climate Elders.
“No US tariff negotiations”: Swiss economics minister
This content was published on
Switzerland has yet to enter formal tariff negotiations with the United States despite making contact with the administration.
Soaring cocoa prices hit Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut suffered from soaring cocoa prices in the first half of the 2024-2025 financial year.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.