GENEVA Next 30 November, the Swiss will vote both on a federal and cantonal basis whether their country should continue to provide special tax privileges to foreign millionaires. The arrangement allows wealthy expatriates to declare a fiscal ‘forfait’ (tax package) based on their lifestyles and not the actual amount of their fortunes. On average, their […]
Archives for 2014
A Key Leader in International Mobility to Switzerland
– SPONSORED CONTENT – Paid for and posted by Geneva Relocation Geneva Relocation, a tool for successful expatriation You are one of the leading references in relocation to the Suisse romande region. What is your strength? Due to its solid experience, Geneva Relocation has emerged as one of the leading relocation service providers in the […]
International Olympic Committee and FIFA attacked at UN General Assembly
UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai today called on international sports bodies, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to respect universally recognized human rights at their events, especially the right to peaceful assembly. Maina Kiai condemned “private multilateral bodies” and singled out Switzerland-based IOC and FIFA in a speech to the UN General Assembly. […]
Geneva greening initiative takes root
In coming weeks, the city of Geneva will be planting 250 trees as part of a greater “greening” initiative launched in 2012, according to the Tribune de Genève. Pâquis and Eaux-Vives are being targeted, as they have been identified as neighbourhoods in dire need of vegetation. The northern tip of Plainpalais also will receive a […]
Swiss companies out-perform analysts’ expectations – except for UBS
Markedly positive third quarter earnings are now being released by Swiss companies. According to IG Bank, eight of the 15 companies that have reported so far have beaten analysts’ expectations by an average 2.21% with the exception of UBS. At Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, profits were lower than expected at CHF 762 million against analysts’ […]
Swiss environmental group, Ecopop calls for birth control boost
On 30 November, Switzerland’s voters will decide whether to pass a controversial amendment put forth by Ecopop, a group of Swiss environmentalists. The initiative calls for boosting birth control in developing countries as a way to curb immigration, which according to the group shouldn’t exceed 0.2 per cent of the Swiss population over three years. […]
40-50 Swiss family-owned hotels under threat of closing
Family-owned hotels across Switzerland are striving to compete with larger ones. According to Swiss Info, an estimated 40 to 50 hotels are expected to close in alpine areas over the next few years, largely because they fail to target their guests properly, said Director of Tourism Jürg Schmid. The challenges are mostly financial, as many […]
The French Riviera: a glimpse of sunshine
Given all the beautiful places that can be easily reached from Nice airport, such as Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez or even Italy, it may take several weekends to explore the region properly. With winter approaching, the south of France is the perfect destination for a sunny and warm interlude. Be it for a bachelorette party […]
Back to the future
100 years have passed and the history of the 20th century’s first genocide is beginning to weigh heavily. Every year on 24 April, Armenians the world over commemorate the 1915 Armenian genocide at the hand of the Turks. This year is the 100th anniversary of this tragedy. In order to mark the occasion, the Armenian […]
Learn to shout louder, or learn the lingo.
There are various schools of thought on how to learn French (or indeed any other language). Assuming that you do not believe that restaurant French is enough to get by in Suisse Romande, then you may be faced with deciding whether you, your partner, or colleagues should embark on a language course. This is often […]
