Every year, home owners in Switzerland must add imputed rent to their taxable income, creating an unusual additional tax on home owners introduced during the first world war to fund the war effort. Switzerland’s government has agreed to remove the tax. However, this week, parliament sent the latest plan back to the drawing board, reported […]
September unusually cold and wet in Switzerland
From the middle of the month cold air flowed into Switzerland and the snow line fell to 1,400 m, reported Meteo Swiss. The sudden drop resulted in an unusually cool average September temperature, it said. At 10 degrees, the average monthly temperature was 0.4 degrees below the average between 1991 to 2020 norm. However, the […]
Switzerland’s finance minister resigns
On 30 September 2022, Ueli Maurer, Switzerland’s minister of finance surprised many by tendering his resignation. Maurer, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), became a Federal Councillor, roughly equivalent to a cabinet member, in 2009. He started off as minister of defence before taking up the role of finance minister in 2016. Maurer’s […]
More than 40% of cyclists do not wear helmets in Switzerland
More than 40% of cyclists in Switzerland do not wear helmets, according to BFA, a safety advisory group. In 2022, 44% of riders of regular bicycles did not wear head protection, a figure 1 percentage point higher than in 2021, said the report. The figure for riders of e-bikes was lower but displayed a similar […]
Swiss glaciers break melt record this summer
Swiss glaciers have not melted as much in a year as they did in 2022, according to a report by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT). During 2022, Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than 6% of their volume. A combination of low winter snowfall and a series of summer heat waves caused the largest loss of […]
Switzerland to destroy 10 million doses of Covid vaccine
Switzerland is to destroy more than 10 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, reported RTS. The 10.3 million doses of vaccine have reached their expiry date, which cannot be extended, said the government. 2.5 million doses are stored in Switzerland with further 7.8 million stored in Belgium, said the Federal Office of Public Health […]
Swiss health insurance set to rise by most since 2010
On 27 September 2022, the Swiss government published health insurance premiums for 2023. On average premiums will rise by 6.6% with large variations depending on age and where you live. The 6.6% average increase in 2023 is the fifth largest rise since Switzerland’s current system of health insurance began in 1996. The last time it […]
Swiss vote results on pension reform, taxes and factory farming
On 25 September 2022, Swiss voters voted on four federal initiatives on whether to reform the state pension system, remove some withholding taxes ans stamp duty and whether to restrict factory farming. Voting this weekend saw two initiatives accepted and two rejected. Majorities were in favour of the government’s pension reform plan (50.57%) and raising VAT to […]
Marked economic slowdown on horizon in Switzerland
On 20 September 2022, government forecasters announced downgraded expectations for GDP growth in Switzerland. A group of experts focused on predicting business cycles downgraded expected GDP growth to 2.0% in 2022 and to 1.1% in 2023. After a positive first half of the year the Swiss economy now faces a deteriorating outlook, said the group. […]
Swiss to vote on factory farming
On the 25 September 2022 the Swiss electorate will vote on the Factory Farming Initiative. Switzerland’s current legislation on the protection of animals is among the strictest in the world. The dignity and welfare of animals are both protected under the law. In 1992, Switzerland became the first nation to consider the dignity of animals […]
