The Creation of a Unique Business Identification Number in Switzerland

1. The Creation of a Unique Business Identification Number in Switzerland OECD – 25 November 2008 Pascal Utz

2. List of contents • Goals of Enterprise Identification Number (UID) • The Situation in Switzerland • The UID Register • Advantages and Challenges • Schedule

3. Current Situation in Switzerland • Almost every administrative register today has its own identification number • Duplications • Inefficient processes • High costs • Limited exchange of information among administrative agencies • Slow processes

4. Goals of enterprise identification number (UID) • Reducing time and money expenses for enterprises • Developing e-government • Lower costs for the public authorities • Making administrative registers more up-to-date • Better cooperation among administrations • National coordination instead of cantonal solutions • Reduction of different identification numbers

5. Administrative Registers • No national business register • Each administrative register only covers part of the businesses • Different definitions of a business enterprise • Registers tend to be managed at a regional level

6. The Business and Enterprise Register (BER) • Statistical Register • Nearly complete • Up to date • Many data sources • Established processes

7. The UID Register • Administrative register • The BER as a reference register • Physically separate from the BER • Limited number of variables • Some variables are publicly accessible • Other variables are only accessible to the public authorities

8. Advantages for Business and Enterprise Register • Additional sources of information: • More up-to-date data • Comprehensiveness • Simpler data collection through single identifier •  Better economic statistics

9. Challenges • Lack of legal foundations • Defining an business enterprise • High time pressure • Public access to the UID register (Data protection) • Verification of data • Data quality and guarantee of quality

10. Schedule • Putting into effect of UID law: 1 January 2011 • UID in the administrative registers 2011 – 2013 (1st part) • 2011 – 2016 (2nd part) • Replacement of existing indicators 2011 – 2016

11. Thank you for your attention