Swiss lawmakers moot transit tourism tax

Transit tourists are blamed for traffic jams Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

Swiss lawmakers are proposing a tax on foreigners who drive through the country en route to other destinations. The government warns of complex implementation and high costs, and one expert doubts the usefulness of the tax.

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Senators have had enough of private transit traffic clogging up Swiss roads. “The traffic keeps growing and growing, and it’s getting out of hand,” stated Heidi Z’Graggen, a centre-right parliamentarian.

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Stefan Engler, a Graubünden Senator from the Centre Party sees no end in sight: “When I imagine how traffic will increase in the coming years, it’s quite frightening,” he told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.

The Senate has backed a proposal by Swiss People’s Party parliamentarian Marco Chiesa. It calls on the government to impose a transit tax on all foreign nationals crossing Switzerland in their private car, camper, or motorcycle—”without a significant stay in the country”.

The amount of the tax would be set flexibly depending on the time of day, day of the week, or traffic density. This should impose a greater levy when traffic density is higher.

“Implementation is technically feasible. Over 170 border crossings are already equipped with automatic license plate recognition,” said Chiesa.

EU reaction

The Federal Council has rejected the introduction of a transit tax because it would require complex monitoring of all border crossings and incur costs. On the other hand, it is unclear what constitutes an “essential stop” for which no tax would be payable, according to Transport Minister Albert Rösti.

The Federal Council is also concerned about European Union relations. While Rösti confirmed that a levy would be compatible with existing agreements with the EU, how the EU would react politically was another question.

Alexander Erath, Professor of Transport and Mobility at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, agrees. While a transit tax may be compatible with the EU treaties, it would not be conducive to good neighborly relations.

Eric Nussbaumer, Social Democrat parliamentarian and president of European Movement Switzerland, however, assumes that the EU would not resist. “It’s the same in other countries – they have vignettes and additional fees on certain sections of the route.” The principle of levying fees on additional sections is possible and needs to be examined in more detail.

Erath, however, doubts that such a tax would have a significant impact. While it might provide some relief on days with heavy through traffic between the borders, he added, “on other days, when Swiss domestic traffic in particular leads to traffic jams at the Gotthard, it has little effect.”

The proposal for the new tax must now be approved by the House of Representatives. This should be a mere formality, as five similar proposals have already been submitted in the past.

If both chamber agree, the Federal Council must draft a bill, which in turn must be approved by both councils. A referendum is then required. According to the Federal Council, the introduction of a transit tax requires an amendment to the Federal Constitution.

Adapted from German with DeepL/mga

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