On 15 May 2023, the Federal Statistical Office published its latest residential property price index. During the first quarter of 2023, average Swiss home prices fell by 1.2%, leaving them 3.9% higher than a year before. Stand alone houses dropped in price by 1.3% while apartments lost 1.1% of their value over the three months […]
Swiss Rail behind on billions of francs of rail maintenance
This week, Olivier Français, a member of the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, pointed out the long-running underinvestment in Switzerland’s rail infrastructure. According to the engineer and politician, billions have been cut from maintenance and investment budgets, reported RTS. Michel Béguelin, a former transport commissioner, told RTS he remembers plans from the Federal Council […]
20 Swiss towns favour 30 km/h speed limits
This week, a Swiss organisation focused on urban transport with 20 members, announced its support for city-wide 30 km/h speed limits, a limit significantly lower than the current standard limit of 50 km/h in urban areas. On 16 May 2023, the organisation, which brings together 20 towns, ranging from Zurich (the largest) to Chiasso (the […]
Proposal for budget Swiss health insurance
Last weekend, the PLR/FDP unveiled a plan to create a budget low cost health insurance option in Switzerland, reported RTS. The proposal, which includes lower cost ways of delivering healthcare, will be presented to parliament next month. Examples of ways to lower costs include limiting the choice of hospital and sharing hospital rooms with more […]
Switzerland needs to be able to recharge 2.8 million vehicles
This week, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) published its predictions and ambitions for electric transport infrastructure. By 2035, SFOE expects more than half of all passenger cars in Switzerland to be electric. This means the country has around 12 years to complete its charging infrastructure, it said. The SFOE study estimates there will […]
One day off work costs Switzerland 350 million francs
Last week, Switzerland’s federal parliament voted in favour of adding an annual public holiday to celebrate democracy. This week, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), said the extra day off would cost the economy CHF 350 million, reported RTS. The CHF 350 million sum was calculated by comparing the GDP in years when Christmas […]
One Swiss canton wants to make it harder to become Swiss
This week, the government of the canton of Aargau was poised to make it harder to become Swiss in the canton, reported RTS. The canton’s parliament voted in favour of increasing the language requirements and applying stricter judicial restrictions. Becoming a citizen in Switzerland is already difficult by international standards. Rules set at a federal […]
Switzerland’s cantons make bigger than expected profits in 2022
In 2022, together, Switzerland’s cantons were expected to spend CHF 1.1 billion more than they brought in from taxes. Instead, they made a collective profit of CHF 3.5 billion, a positive delta of CHF 4.6 billion, reported RTS. Switzerland collects tax at three levels: municipal, cantonal and federal. Cantonal taxes are typically the largest slice. […]
Federal Council axes November 2023 voting
In Switzerland, citizens 18 and over are typically called to vote on a number of referenda four times a year. However, in 2023, the fourth scheduled date on 26 November 2023 was axed by the Federal Council this week, reported RTS. The referendum vote date was cancelled because it clashes with Switzerland’s four-yearly federal election, […]
Federal Council supports plan to widen Switzerland’s main motorway
The week, the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive. decided the A1, the nation’s longest motorway should be at least three lanes in both directions along its entire length, reported RTS. The Federal Council’s decision was in response to a proposal by Erich Hess, a parliamentarian from the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP). The motion was signed by […]
