Anyone who declares their food purchases via the federal app pays too much

A user releases his frustration. He criticizes it as “a complete rip-off” and concludes: “The app is unusable”. The cause of the problems is the so-called Quickzoll app from the federal government, which allows private individuals to declare goods: shopping tourists can use the app to calculate VAT and any customs duties, for example for meat or wine, and pay immediately. away.

This app will probably become even more important in the future, because the federal government wants to halve the limit for tax-free purchases from 300 to 150 francs. This means that anyone buying across the border will in future have to pay Swiss VAT on goods with a value of more than 150 francs per person per day. This is what the Federal Council suggests; the final decision is still pending. The aim is to reduce shopping tourism.

However, opponents of the reduction warn that the administrative effort will increase enormously as a result of the reduction to 150 francs, because significantly more purchases will have to be declared. The Basel Chamber of Commerce, for example, warns that there is a risk of complex controls at the border and more traffic jams.

The advocates of the reduction dismiss this argument with regard to the Quickzoll app – thanks to it, administrative efforts should be kept within limits. But the app has a catch: The VAT rate of 8.1 percent is due on all goods, including food, for which the reduced rate of 2.6 percent applies.

The federal government deliberately kept it this way when introducing the app in 2018 in order to “process the calculation and payment process for users as smoothly and quickly as possible”, as the Federal Office for Customs and Border Protection (BAZG) explains upon request. The process is actually simple: all you have to do is enter the total value of the goods into the app and record any excise goods, such as alcohol and meat – and the amount owed will be calculated and ready to be paid.

The downside is that you pay too much VAT on food, which is why the user mentioned at the beginning said it was “a complete rip-off”. As an example: Anyone who imports food worth 350 francs pays more than 28 francs in VAT in the app – instead of 9 francs.

In 2021, federal councilor Ueli Maurer said in parliament that it was unclear to what extent this blanket approach would be legally ‘overridden’. When asked, the BAZG points out that the use of the app is voluntary. In addition, users must confirm that they accept the uniform VAT rate when using the app for the first time.

The federal government now wants to change the app – but without any haste. “An expansion is planned so that customs clearance in the app will also be possible at a reduced VAT rate,” explains a BAZG spokesperson. However, this will probably not be possible until early 2027. Without waiver planning “with a negative impact on the already planned DaziT development work,” earlier implementation would not be possible.

For users the extension would be: Entering purchases becomes a little more complicated, but you will no longer pay too much VAT.

The federal government’s relaxed planning has drawn criticism from the Foundation for Consumer Protection. “It is incomprehensible that the reduced VAT rate would only be integrated into Quickzoll nine years – or more – after its launch,” says manager Sara Stalder. Naturally, this does not increase the acceptance and therefore the spread of the app. In short, Quickzoll is a good instrument, says Stalder.

Nevertheless, the Consumer Protection Foundation assumes that the planned halving of the value-free limit will enormously increase the effort for the population and customs staff. The organization strongly rejects the reduction. She states, among other things, that people with low incomes in particular are dependent on cheap purchases.

On the other hand, retailers and farmers’ associations are even calling for a reduction in the exemption limit to 50 francs. They claim that the current system actually subsidizes foreign retail. A thorn in the side is that from a certain amount – in Germany this is 50 euros – foreign VAT can be reclaimed. Nowadays, anyone who buys something for 200 francs in Germany does not have to pay VAT. According to critics, this will stimulate shopping tourism. Now the Federal Council must decide which exemption limit should apply in the future. (aargauerzeitung.ch)