Competition, Harmonization and Redistribution: Corporate Taxes in Switzerland

Switzerland could be considered as something of a test case for international corporate-tax policy coordination. It is a federation of 26 fiscally autonomous cantons that have been taxing corporate profits more or less independently for over a century. We document and discuss corporate taxation in Switzerland, with a focus on three aspects: (a) the evolving within-country geography of taxable profits and corporate tax rates, (b) the nature and historical emergence of formal tax-base harmonization, and (c) the functioning of fiscal equalization. Parallels are drawn and differences are discussed relative to ongoing efforts at international tax coordination.