Key facts
The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) audited the key ICT project concerning a consumption tax platform from May to June 2015. The programme was launched in January 2014 with a budget of CHF 13.5 million. The instructing parties were the management of the Federal Customs Administration (FCA), the Swiss Alcohol Board (SAB) and the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT). A modern, scalable and homogeneous platform was to be created for all the consumption taxes levied by the FCA and SAB, as well as refunds. In May 2015, even before the conceptual phase was concluded, the consumption tax platform project was suspended in consultation with the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Finance (GS-FDF) due to unclear specifications and unsecured financing. Whether or not the costs of almost CHF 4 million accrued up to that point will have to be written off will depend on the reuse of the results.