Swiss Tax Authority Buys Bahamas Domain Due to URL Typo

A Cost-Effective Solution to a Large-Scale Typo

Imagine discovering a typographical error in a web address printed on 100,000 flyers. This is precisely what happened to the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt.

The error involved a crucial omission: the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of “.ch”.

The Unexpected Result

Without the “.ch” extension, the URL defaulted to “.bs”, which is, surprisingly, the ccTLD for the Bahamas.

This meant that anyone attempting to access the tax filing website via the printed flyer would have been directed to a potentially unrelated Bahamian web resource.

A Pragmatic Response

Rather than reprint and redistribute over 100,000 flyers – a process estimated to cost approximately $100,000 – the Basel-Stadt tax administration opted for a more economical solution.

They decided to purchase the domain containing the typo and implement a redirect to the correct, intended URL.

Financial Considerations

The cost of securing and administering the new domain was only around $1,000, making it a significantly more affordable alternative to a mass reprint.

According to reports from Swiss news outlet SRF, this decision was considered a straightforward cost-benefit analysis.

Implementation Timeline

Currently, the redirect is not yet active. The registration process for the newly acquired domain is still being finalized.

However, it is anticipated that the redirect will be operational shortly, ensuring that citizens can seamlessly access the online tax filing system.