Motion 25.4413

Swiss Medtech firmly rejects Motion 25.4413 of the Council of States’ Finance Committee. The association opposes the introduction of new supervisory levies and registration fees for medical devices.

In its supportive statement, the Federal Council argues for equal treatment of medicinal products and medical devices. At first glance, it may appear contradictory that a levy applies to medicinal products but not to medical devices. In fact, the regulation is justified: medical devices are subject to the standard VAT rate of 8.1 per cent, which alone generates around CHF 600 million annually for the federal treasury. Medicinal products, by contrast, are taxed at a significantly reduced rate of 2.6 per cent. If supervisory levies are to be imposed on medical devices, consistent equal treatment of medicinal products and medical devices is required.

Moreover, new levies would amount to a setback in terms of economic policy: they would further increase the financial burden on companies and weaken Switzerland as a business location in a highly competitive international market. In an already heavily regulated environment, this would increase the pressure not to prioritise supply to the small Swiss market. Given the existing shortages of medical devices, this would have serious consequences for patients in Switzerland.