Industrial tariffs will be abolished from 1 January 2024.
Goods and services cost significantly more on average in Switzerland than in neighbouring countries. A number of factors make the country particularly expensive compared with its neighbours. One is its high wages and costs, which drive up prices. Another, however, is the variety of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that have the effect of isolating the Swiss market, allowing companies to charge higher prices here than abroad.
Removing industrial tariffs will strengthen Switzerland’s position as a business and industrial location. The potential welfare gains are estimated at some CHF 860 million. Whereas customs duties once served to protect domestic industry from foreign competition, today they make it more expensive to procure materials from abroad. With the lifting of customs duties and the associated simplification of administrative procedures, businesses in Switzerland will benefit from cheaper inputs and thereby also from lower production costs. Given that the Swiss economy is highly integrated in global value chains, this will also improve its international competitiveness.
In addition to the lifting of industrial tariffs, the bill provides for a streamlined tariff structure for industrial products, which will further reduce the administrative burden.
