Following the Council of States, the National Council has now also voted in favour of the abolition of industrial tariffs in the autumn session. With this decision, import duties on industrial products (chapters 25 - 97) can be reduced to zero. Numerous tariff headings will be merged, as there will no longer be a need to differentiate by weight and different weight tariff rates. In addition to fiscal savings for importers, it is also hoped that import processing will be simplified. Only if primary products are used for the manufacture of end products relevant to origin will preferential customs clearance still have to be chosen. This is the case even if the standard tariff is subject to a zero rate of duty.
The Federal Council will decide after the expiry of the referendum period (currently no referendum plans are known) when the implementation will come into force. We expect implementation to take place on 1.1.2024.