Well, it looks like in the midst of Covid, I’d forgotten to pay a 5-figure sum of taxes.
The tax authority kindly sent me a reminder for payment today now that it has accrued 5 years of interest at around 5% interest per annum! Ouch!
EDIT: 5% per annum. I wish it was total. The total interest is around 25% of the original amount!
Assuming you invested it somewhere. Most investments would have given 5-6% over 5 years. I guess you made a great carry trade 
Really?
They did not remind you of overdue amounts with each of the following 3-4 years tax bills? 
As @Abs_max mentioned, you’ve had a nice harvest in that meantime, I hope. 
Oh wait 6% per annum? Or 6% in total?
I’m not sure if this is available in whole Switzerland, but egovbox.ch helps.
The taxman sends me that much crap, so I just check there around October and pay whatever it says there. It has a remark if the decision is definitive or not and in Kanton Zurich you don’t have to pay until it is definitive, but you will be charged interest. I think it is 5%, not sure. Cheap credit with no collateral.
Stadt Zürich Mein Konto let you check all your accounts of all your provisionally and defintive bills and how much you paid and how much the guess or decided that you have to pay and the differencies
Per annum. I wish it was total!
Okay . That is ouch
It depends on the canton and even municipality. I like the overview there as well as you see the balance of all tax years on one page. It doesn’t cover federal taxes, though, at least in my municipality. I really wish they would fix the useless separation of state and federal tax bills (given that the federal tax bills are still issued by the canton).
The 4.5% p.a. interest is charged only after the 30-day deadline of the final bill. Only a 1.0% p.a. interest is currently charged for “late” payment of the provisional bill. And if you pay early, you earn interest at the same 1.0% p.a. rate. The rate is set until the end of the year but will surely be lowered for next year.
There were no reminders in between? I would have expected a final warning and enforcement much quicker than 5 years after the due date.
Nope. I received the 1. Mahnung yesterday.
Dick move waiting 5 years until sending you that AND not waiting to start charging you interest until sending the 1. Mahnung.
crazy
Fully agree - and wonder, if based on that you can reach to them and try to negotiate some interest/years down?
I hadn’t thought of negotiating. It’s really my own fault.
I asked for a full account statement to see if I have balances elsewhere I can try to offset against.
Luckily, I’d paid Federal taxes and Cantonal taxes so just the Gemeinde tax that was forgotten.
Curious which Canton is that? (Sounds very different process from ZH)
Basel-Land. a.k.a. The Worst Land.
I’d try to reach the responsible Regierungsrat and tell him your story: anton.lauber@bl.ch or the responsible guy from the tax department michael.schwaller@bl.ch. There was no ill intent on your side but tax department conveniently “forgot” something.
Sure, but what they did is also not right. They should have reminded you about it way earlier… That’s why I think that what @dom.swiss has suggested above makes a lot of sense. Good luck!
I would contest it. No way this is right. Waiting 5 years go get 25% in interest.
I think it’s okay to try to negotiate but putting this as fault from tax office is a bit bizarre. They sent the bill, @PhilMongoose forgot to pay. The interest is due.
If tax office didn’t send reminder, it cannot be called as their „responsibility „.