Swiss Coworking Hub In Luzern Sees Influx of Norwegian Business Owners Fleeing Norway Tax System

A coworking hub in Lucerne is benefiting from the growing relocation of Norwegian business owners and investors to Switzerland, a trend linked in part to changes in Norway’s tax regime.

Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reported that the number of Norwegian companies and branches controlled from Switzerland rose by 47 in 2024, according to Statistics Norway.

The trend is visible at Nordic Coworking Luzern, a workspace created after an initial wave of Norwegian entrepreneurs and investors moved to Switzerland. The hub offers private offices, meeting rooms, company domiciliation and administrative services, and has become a gathering point for parts of the Norwegian business community.

The relocation wave accelerated after Norway increased wealth and dividend taxation. Several prominent business owners have cited the country’s wealth tax as a reason for moving to Switzerland, while Norway has since tightened its exit-tax rules.

The development is no longer only about wealthy individuals changing residence. An increasing number of Norwegian businesses are now being controlled from Switzerland, raising political concerns about the potential loss of capital and entrepreneurial activity.

For the coworking industry, Lucerne offers an unusual example of how tax policy can create a new type of flex-space demand: not from freelancers or remote employees, but from business owners, investors and entrepreneurs relocating internationally while continuing to manage companies in their home market.

Pic source: Wikipedia