On 5 October 2017, at the invitation of the Directorates of Finance and Economics and the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zurich, a roundtable discussion was held with representatives of large companies and various municipalities on Tax Bill 17. The draft for federal tax bill 17 is still in the consultation process until 6 December 2017.
According to the press release published, the aim of all participants in the Round Table is to create the best possible conditions for Zurich as a location and to adopt a position that is as broadly supported as possible from a Zurich perspective, and then to be able to incorporate it into the cantonal implementation proposal. This improves the chances of Zurich's concerns being heard. The aim is to keep as many companies and jobs as possible, as well as their tax base, in the Canton of Zurich and to limit the expected loss of revenue for the public sector (canton, political communities and church communities) to a tolerable level.
For this reason, on 5 October 2017, the Finance and Economic Affairs Directorate and the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zurich invited several companies affected by the foreseeable abolition of privileged tax statuses to a round table together with the municipalities. These companies include many well-known companies such as ABB, dormakaba International, Reichle & De-Massari, Rieter, Bruker BioSpin, the Ruf Group, Zimmer and Swiss Re. For the municipalities on the other hand, the extent to which these companies are affected or dependent on taxes varies greatly. For this reason, it was important for the three chairmen of the management board, Ernst Stocker, Carmen Walker Späh and Jacqueline Fehr, to seek direct dialogue. The Finance Director also involved the municipalities and cities in the preparation of a new cantonal implementation bill.
Naturally, in view of the complex initial situation, no results are yet available. However, the prevailing opinion in the discussion was that this approach is the right way forward for the Canton of Zurich and that it makes sense to seek a common denominator in view of its particularly challenging situation.
The media release of the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs, the Directorate of Finance and the Economic Affairs Directorate of the Canton of Zurich can be downloaded here.
