The measure will come into effect on January 1, 2019. Currently, online purchases from abroad that attract less than CHF5 ($5.01) in VAT are exempt. This translates into an upper limit of CHF200 worth of books or CHF62.50 of goods that don’t benefit from a favourable tax status.
According to the VAT reform passed in 2016, all firms with turnover of over CHF100,000 will be obliged to impose Swiss VAT for Swiss customers. The Swiss VAT rate is 7.7% for most goods and 2.5% for certain items like books. The move is designed to reduce the attractiveness of buying from foreign multinationals like Amazon, whose prices are very competitive compared with high-priced Switzerland.
The measure was originally meant to come into effect from January this year. However, it was postponed to allow companies more time to prepare, especially Swiss Post.
More
More
2017 sees big boom in internet shopping
This content was published on
Online sales were up by 10% in 2017 in Switzerland, with a 23% increase in online purchases from abroad.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
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.
Read more
More
English books in Switzerland: a new chapter?
This content was published on
“The US market is difficult but huge – if you can sell to one in 10,000 people, you’ve got a bestseller on your hands. In Switzerland, authors work hard to sell books in German or French, let alone English,” says American-Swiss author Richard Harvell, commissioning editor of Basel-based Bergli Books, whose publications “help newcomers feel…
This content was published on
Currently, online purchases from abroad that attract less than CHF5 ($5.15) in VAT are exempt. This translates into an upper limit of CHF200 worth of books or CHF62.50 of goods that don’t benefit from a favourable tax status. According to the VAT reform passed on Thursday, all firms with turnover of over CHF100,000 will be…
This content was published on
The government has said that no favouritism is involved in the deal that will see Swiss Post delivering packages for retail giant Amazon.
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.