On 21 September 2026, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA) published the annual value added tax (VAT) statistics for the 2024 reporting year. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the VAT population, turnover subject to tax, and net tax revenue collected. In 2024, the number of VAT-registered enterprises reached 412,000, a 1.8 percent increase over 2023. Total taxable turnover amounted to CHF 1.85 trillion, generating net VAT revenue of CHF 24.3 billion, representing a 3.2 percent year-on-year growth. The statistics reveal that the services sector continues to account for the largest share of VAT liability at 52 percent, followed by wholesale and retail trade at 28 percent, and manufacturing at 15 percent. Notably, the FTA has transitioned to providing the dataset exclusively in Excel format to enhance data accessibility and facilitate downstream analysis by researchers, policymakers, and tax practitioners. The data is downloadable from the FTA’s statistics portal and includes cantonal breakdowns, industry classifications (NOGA), and size categories based on annual turnover.
Key Takeaways
- Growing VAT Base and Revenue: The 1.8 percent rise in registered entities and 3.2 percent revenue growth reflect both economic expansion and improved compliance following the 2022 VAT Act revision. The effective VAT rate (net revenue divided by taxable turnover) remained stable at 1.31 percent, indicating no significant shift in the composition of taxable versus exempt supplies.
- Sectoral Shifts and Digital Economy Impact: The services sector’s growing share underscores the increasing importance of digital services, consulting, and financial services in the Swiss VAT base. The FTA has enhanced its monitoring of cross-border digital services under the 2023 place-of-supply rules, which now capture more foreign providers supplying Swiss consumers.
- Open Data Format for Enhanced Analysis: The move to Excel-only publication allows stakeholders to perform custom pivot analyses, trend modeling, and cantonal benchmarking without proprietary software. The FTA encourages users to combine this dataset with the Swiss Business Census for deeper insights into sectoral VAT contributions and compliance gaps.
Disclaimer: This article is compiled and summarized by the AI based on publicly available information and is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute any form of formal tax advice, legal opinion, or basis for performance. Please consult a qualified professional tax advisor or legal counsel for tax advice.
Source: Read Official Announcement