Key facts
The Federal Tax Administration (FTA) is conducting the VSTKR I project to digitalise forms relating to withholding tax declarations and refunds, stamp duty, capital contribution reserves and tax rulings (in German: V-St-K-R). The project was launched at the end of 2021. In 2022, the FTA switched from a phase-based procedure according to the waterfall model to agile development. In 2023 and 2024, it became necessary to correct the project plan. First, the initial budget had to be doubled, from CHF 4,986 million to CHF 9.9 million, and the timetable had to be extended by over a year. In 2024, the FTA had to extend the timetable once again, to the end of 2025, and reduce the project scope.
The audit by the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) revealed that the project is progressing in terms of content, and the end is in sight. Nonetheless, the SFAO doubts whether the project will be successfully completed by the end of 2025. The time set aside for stabilisation and acceptance testing may have to be used for final development activities. The SFAO also takes the view that those responsible for project management and oversight are taking too little account of the risks.