The economic research institute BAK Economics has published the BAK Taxation Index 2019, which compares the tax burden on companies worldwide. The index shows that the Swiss cantons are still very well positioned in the international tax competition. According to BAK Economics, this is despite the fact that competition has significantly stepped up since the last index in 2017.
In the BAK Index, Hong Kong has the most attractive effective tax burden of 9.9 per cent. It is followed by four Swiss cantons: Nidwalden in second place with a tax burden of 10.1 per cent, Lucerne and Appenzell Ausserrhoden in third place with a tax burden of 10.3 per cent, and Obwalden in fifth place with 10.9 per cent. Obwalden shares its ranking with the Hungarian capital Budapest, which has the same corporate tax burden.
Swiss cantons also continue to dominate the following positions. Basel-Stadt comes up close behind, having cut its taxes to 11 per cent this year as part of the corporate tax reform. It is followed by Uri, Schwyz, Thurgau, Glarus, Graubünden and Schaffhausen.
The international average for effective tax burden is 26.4 per cent, according to BAK. In Switzerland the value is more than 10 percentage points lower at 15.6 per cent.
