Abolition of industrial tariffs

The amendment to the Customs Tariff Act of autumn 2021, and thus the abolition of industrial tariffs, will definitely enter into force on January 1, 2024, as planned. The Federal Council confirmed its decision of February 2022 at the end of January 2023.

In Switzerland, all goods except agricultural and fishery products are considered industrial products. The abolition of industrial tariffs therefore affects goods in Chapters 25–97 of the Customs Tariff, with the exception of certain products in Chapters 35 and 38, which are considered agricultural products.

The simplification of the customs tariff structure exclusively affects industrial products in Chapters 25–97. The more than 9,000 customs tariff numbers will be reduced to approximately 7,500, as the fine subdivision that currently enables differentiated customs collection is no longer necessary in the industrial sector.

The abolition of industrial tariffs and the simplification of the customs tariff will result in an adjustment of the Swiss customs tariff (TARES). The adjusted master data from the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCA) must be adopted by the affected companies. The FOCA will make the necessary information available on this website by fall 2023. An Excel spreadsheet with the tariff structure valid from January 1, 2024, and the concordance list (2022 vs. 2024) is available under “Further Information.”

The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has published a page on its website with frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the abolition of industrial tariffs. We are of course also at your disposal.