Federal Council discusses legal basis for administrative assistance in tax matters

During the meeting 13.05.2015, the Federal Council addressed the Global Forum's peer review of Switzerland. It took stock of the challenges to be met by Switzerland in order to pass phase 2 of its peer review, which will get under way in the last quarter of 2015, and talked about what is at stake in this review. The Federal Council will propose to Parliament a clarification of the legal situation regarding administrative assistance based on stolen data.

In its report published on 16 March 2015, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) concluded that Switzerland's legal and regulatory framework in terms of administrative assistance allowed it to progress to phase 2 of the peer review. The Federal Council acknowledged that Switzerland achieved this thanks to its intensive work to comply with the global standards.

The phase 2 review itself will look at Switzerland's administrative assistance practices. It is a challenge for Switzerland, which receives an average of around 1,500 administrative assistance requests per year, making it one of the world's most frequently contacted countries for administrative assistance. The treatment of requests based on stolen data is particularly challenging for Switzerland. The Federal Council will propose a clarification of the legal situation to Parliament.

The Federal Council recognises how important it is for Switzerland to comply with the international standards, which ensure smooth economic relations with partner states and good framework conditions, which are necessary for investments.