Switzerland’s Federal Council proposes adopting global standards for crypto tax reporting through a public consultation to ensure parity with traditional assets and enhance tax transparency.
In an effort to “ensure equal treatment” with conventional assets, Switzerland’s highest authority has issued a public consultation regarding its intentions to adopt global standards for crypto tax reporting.
The Swiss government’s Federal Council (consisting of seven members) has decided to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) to increase tax transparency.
The Federal Council initiated the May 15 consultation document to assess public opinion regarding the possibility of participating in the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI), an international tax administration collaboration designed to combat tax evasion. Presently, Switzerland’s entry into the AEOI is planned for January 1, 2026.
AEOI and other initiatives were initially established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the Group of 20 (G20) nations. Subsequently, these initiatives were expanded to encompass additional nations.
While Switzerland did indeed implement the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS) in 2014, it should have included CARF, an oversight framework for managing cryptocurrency assets and their providers. To alter this fact, the Federal Council declared:
“Implementation of the CARF will expand Switzerland’s progressive crypto market regulation and help to maintain the credibility and reputation of the Swiss financial center.”
However, the CARF implementation will require parliamentary approval and cannot be solely based on the consultation paper responses.
By 2027, nearly 50 countries are expected to fully adopt the CARF regulations to mutually help fight money laundering.
The Swiss federal authority intends to “close gaps in the tax transparency mechanism and ensure equal treatment with respect to traditional assets and financial institutions.”
The consultation will run for over three months and end on Sept. 6.
The Canadian annual budget, unveiled in April 2024, projected that the nation would also adopt the CARF for taxation purposes by 2026.
Crypto asset service providers (CASPs), including cryptocurrency exchanges, crypto-asset brokers and merchants, and automated teller machine operators, would be subject to additional reporting obligations under the CARF.
Upon the regulation’s implementation, Canadian businesses and individuals will be obligated to disclose to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) transactions involving fiat currency and crypto assets for other crypto assets.