On 26 September 2021, Swiss voters will decide whether to introduce a tax increase on money earned from company ownership and investments. The initiative named ‘Reduce tax on salaries, tax capital fairly’ aims to have income derived from investments and company ownership taxed at 150% of the rate applied to other income. The argument put […]
One more reason why Switzerland is so expensive
There are many theories on why the prices of certain goods and services are so high in Switzerland. A well-known economic phenomenon can be added to them. Theories that help to explain Switzerland’s high prices include, import restrictions and tariffs on products in protected industries like agriculture, high Swiss operating costs, anticompetitive deals struck by […]
SWISS considers extending vaccination obligation to passengers
During an RTS interview on the airline’s Covid-19 response SWISS boss Dieter Vranckx discussed how an obligation to vaccinate could be extended to passengers flying on specific routes. On 24 August 2012, Swiss decided to make vaccination mandatory for all cabin crew. According to Vranckx, a similar policy could be applied to passengers on certain […]
Swiss economy bounces back from second Covid slump
Swiss GDP grew by 1.8% in the second quarter of 2021 after contracting by 0.4% in the first quarter of the year, according to figures published by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. Much of the bounce back was in the services sector as Covid measures were relaxed. Private consumption recovered strongly and industry also […]
Switzerland imported a quarter of hydro electricity consumed in 2020
To keep the lights on Switzerland imports electricity. In 2020, 24% of the hydro electricity consumed in Switzerland was imported, along with small amounts of wind- and fossil fuel-generated electricity. In 2020, 50% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland came from Swiss hydro production. This was topped up by imports, which boosted hydro-sourced consumption by […]
Swiss meat industry hits back at exclusively vegetarian canteen
Since the beginning of the university year, the canteen at the University of Luzern has offered only vegetarian dishes. Meat, including fish, are now absent from the menu. Luzern is the first university in Switzerland to make such a move as a way to reduce its environmental impact. According to a report by the newspaper […]
Swiss gain weight rapidly during Covid-19 pandemic
Like most of the world, Switzerland has an obesity problem. From 1992 to 2017, obesity in Switzerland rose from 5% to 11% of the population. In addition, a further 31% of the population was considered overweight, bringing the total with a weight problem to 42% of the population. The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the […]
Covid: almost no increase in new cases in Switzerland this week
This week, 18,055 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, rising less than 1% (0.3%) from the week before (17,997). After many weeks of rising new cases of Covid-19, the number of new infections this week in Switzerland was only slightly above the number a week earlier. At the same time deaths have risen. This […]
ETH Zurich ranked best university in continental Europe
In a global university ranking done by Times Higher Education ETH Zurich was ranked 15th, the highest ranked university in continental Europe. The next continental European university on the list was the University of Munich (32nd). EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland’s other Federal university was ranked 40th in a global ranking of more than 1,600 universities […]
US moves Switzerland to its highest Covid-19 risk level
On 30 August 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised the travel advisory risk levels of seven nations, including Switzerland, from level 3 (Covid-19 high) to level 4 (Covid-19 very high), the highest level. The CDC and US state department advise people in the US to avoid travelling to Switzerland and […]
