⏱ 2 min 30 read
Background
In August 2025, a report by independent expert François Paychère established that the Vaud tax shield had been misapplied between 2009 and 2021. The report triggered several audits of the canton of Vaud's tax administration. Those on the tax shield were published this summer. The audit of the organisation of the Directorate General of Taxation (DGF) itself was still pending.
The key points
The Department of Finance, Territory and Sport (DFTS) presented on 9 November 2026 the reorganisation of the DGF. It is based on the governance audit carried out by the firm BDO from March to October 2026. According to the State of Vaud's press release, the DGF fulfils its duties as required, but must transform its strategy, governance and processes.
The Director General, Metihe Mehmeti, in office since March 2026, will lead the service with a smaller executive committee and a Deputy Director General. Sensitive decisions will be taken collectively within a technical committee. The organisation is grouped into seven areas. According to RTS, Metihe Mehmeti noted that management decisions had so far lacked collegiality and transparency.
Concrete changes are already in place: ruling requests (advance tax agreements) go through a dedicated address, under defined admissibility criteria. Companies setting up in the canton have a single tax contact.
Key figures
- 2028 : new organisation fully in place
- 1000 employees approximately at the DGF
- 191 managers surveyed for the audit
- 300 posts full-time “theoretical”: estimated workload of individual taxation, which the Canton hopes to reduce through efficiency gains and artificial intelligence (RTS)
What it means for businesses
- Companies setting up : a single tax contact within the DGF
- Ruling requests : a dedicated address and defined admissibility criteria
- Large groups : the DGF is preparing for the GloBE minimum tax, already under way
Who says what
- Christelle Luisier Brodard (State Councillor in charge of the DFTS): welcomes changes that are already concrete for taxpayers; she describes individual taxation as the biggest tax project in 30 to 40 years, according to RTS
- Metihe Mehmeti (Director General of Taxation): the audit confirms the strength of the DGF's skills and provides a “clear roadmap”
What's next
- First Vaud Tax Conference on 27 November 2026
- Task force in charge of the transformation from January 2027
- Abolition of the imputed rental value on 1 January 2029, individual taxation on 1 January 2032
