There has been many discussions in the Swiss banking industry to find legal ways for EU citizens not to pay the ESD tax on their Swiss bank account.

There are three types of solutions to bypass this tax:

1. Account holder level solutions
   You can make your account tax exempt by changing the nominal account holder, for example by owning your account through an insurance policy or an offshore company.
2. Investment level solutions
   Only a relatively small proportion of investments are liable for the ESD tax. If you choose your investment strategy by avoiding those investments, your account will remain fully tax-exempt.
3. Account jurisdiction
   For larger accounts we can set up your account in the subsidiary of a Swiss bank located in a tax exempt jurisdiction. This enables you to get the solid service and financial stability of a Swiss bank by avoiding the tax altogether.

Which one is best for you depends on several factors, the most important being how many Euros a year you would actually pay in taxes.   In each case we will have to sit down with you and calculate if the savings offset the cost.

Solution	Benefit	Limitations	Cost
Own your account through an offshore company	0% tax even if you live in the EU	This loophole is not guaranteed to work forever and banks ask for a minimum balance of 100'000 Swiss francs (equivalent to $89,000 or EUR 61,000 or £44,000)	About €800/year
Choose investments that do not pay interest	0% tax even if you live in the EU	Fewer investments to choose from	Free
Own your account through a life insurance policy	0% tax even if you live in the EU	This loophole is not guaranteed to work forever
Buy grandfathered bonds	0% tax until 2011 even if you live in the EU	Fewer bonds to choose from	Higher demand for those bonds will slightly reduce their return
Ask the bank to domicile your account outside Switzerland	0% tax even if you live in the EU	Fewer banks available, minimum balance 2 millions Swiss francs (equivalent to $1,789,000 or EUR 1,220,000 or £871,000)
Buy investment products specially made to bypass the ESD tax	0% tax even if you live in the EU	Limited number of investments	Commissions