Nidwalden
TL;DR
Founding half-canton with 9.8% effective corporate tax, aviation engineering hub
Nidwalden will become the world's most attractive corporate jurisdiction in 2025 with an effective tax rate of 9.8%—a deliberate competitive strategy among Switzerland's founding cantons. The half-canton (43,000 residents centered on Stans) has no inheritance or gift tax and specializes in aviation and mechanical engineering. Bordered by Lake Lucerne to the north, Nidwalden joined Uri, Schwyz, and its twin Obwalden in founding the Swiss Confederation in 1291. The modern economy combines inherited institutional advantages with aggressive tax competition—demonstrating how small polities can outcompete larger neighbors through regulatory arbitrage.