Industrial tariffs will be abolished from 1 January 2024 (Federal Gazette 2021 2330). This decision was made by the Federal Council at its meeting on 2 February 2022, after the necessary amendment to the Customs Tariff Act was passed by Parliament on 1 October 2021.
By choosing 1 January 2024, the Federal Council selected a date for the entry into force that keeps transitional costs as low as possible for economic actors and administrative authorities. All concerned therefore have sufficient time to make the necessary technical and organisational preparations.
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. SECO previously examined the impact of these barriers in a series of studies. With a view to reducing trade barriers, the Federal Council adopted a package of import facilitation measures on 20 December 2017. One of these is the lifting of tariffs on industrial goods.
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. Trade ties will become more efficient overall and competition will improve. Consumers also stand to benefit from the measure as import duties are still currently levied on various consumer goods such as cars, bicycles, personal care products, household appliances and clothing. In sectors with functioning competition, the savings will be passed on to consumers. This will be monitored.
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.