In September, Switzerland’s Council of States unanimously accepted a motion seeking to tax foreign tourists using Swiss motorways just to transit the country. What is this about?
The fee would apply to vehicles entering Switzerland from a neighbouring country and exiting in another, without stopping on the way.
Tourists who enter Switzerland from abroad and remain in the country for a certain period of time (to be defined) will not be subject to this tax, since they don’t use the road infrastructure merely to transit.
‘Parasitic traffic’
“Our national roads, especially the major Alpine routes, are congested with transit traffic that brings no benefit to our country,” according to MP Marco Chiesa, who instigated this measure in the parliament.
He also pointed out that the long queues of traffic jams cause many areas to be “literally suffocated by traffic.”
“It is unacceptable that Switzerland continues to suffer the consequences of this parasitic traffic,” Chiesa added.
Stefan Engler, another deputy who supported the move, added that “the protection of our population takes precedence over the desire to reach the Mediterranean beaches as quickly as possible.”
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In greenlighting this move, MPs went against the Federal Council, which was opposed to the transit tax.
According to Transport Minister Albert Rösti, the new law would entail a number of administrative hurdles.
“In particular, comprehensive monitoring of all border crossings would be required,” he said.
The Federal Council also has concerns about whether the new law would impact Switzerland’s relationship with the EU.
Though Rösti said a transit tax would be compatible with existing agreements, it is not certain how Brussels would react to the new measure.
Alexander Erath, professor of Transport and Mobility at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, agreed: while a transit tax per se might be compatible with the EU treaties, it would not be conducive to good neighbourly relations, he noted
(And in case you are wondering, the tax would not replace the obligatory motorway vignette – they are two separate things).
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How much would this transit tax be?
It would not be a set amount, but be based on traffic density, time of day, and day of the week, to encourage vehicles to travel at certain times rather than others.
The objective of this move is to achieve a better flow of traffic on the national road network, particularly on north-south routes.
The proceeds of the tax would be allocated to the National Roads and Urban Traffic Fund (FORTA), which finances measures that improve the overall transport system in Swiss municipalities.
When will this measure go into effect?
The National Council still has to debate, and vote on, this issue during the next parliamentary session in December, though they are also expected to approve it.
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