Most people in Switzerland rent. This means the nation has strict tenancy rules, some of which are viewed as too strict by the current government. Both parliament and the Council of States have come up with two changes aimed at limiting the actions of tenants, which are considered abusive. These two votes are the result […]
Swiss to vote on plan to upgrade motorways this weekend
On 24 November 2024, the Swiss will vote on four questions. The first is a federal government plan to invest in expanding Switzerland’s motorway network. The government’s plan aims to alleviate six motorway bottlenecks. The Federal Council points out that traffic on the nation’s highways has more than doubled since 1990 and the estimated CHF […]
Switzerland ranked second in digital competitiveness
Switzerland came second in this year’s World Digital Competitive Ranking, which ranks 67 nations across the world. The 2024 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, produced annually by IMD, placed Singapore at the top, followed by Switzerland and Denmark. This year’s ranking is the highest for Switzerland over the eight years that the report has been published. […]
Federal Council hopes to boost savings with pension change
Switzerland’s pension system has three elements. The first is a state pension linked to the number of years worked. This is funded by a tax. The second is a salary based scheme funded by salary deductions, and the third is an optional element known as the third pillar. Contributions to all of these are tax […]
Switzerland’s cross border workers reach record level
At the beginning of the Covid pandemic there was talk of closing Switzerland’s borders. However, it was clear that Swiss hospitals and businesses near Switzerland’s borders would not function without the workers who cross the border daily to work for them, and the notion was dropped. Statistics published this week by the Federal Statistical Office […]
Swiss National Bank to issue new money
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has started the process of issuing a new series of banknotes by launching a design competition, it announced this week. The new banknotes will not be issued until the early 2030s at the earliest, said the bank. The new series will be dedicated to the unique topography of Switzerland and […]
Swiss want more political action on immigration
A survey report published this week shows that the population of Switzerland increasingly sees immigration as a challenge and desires political action. Overall, while the economic and cultural effects of immigration are viewed positively, the strains on infrastructure, housing and the environment are viewed negatively. In addition, negativity towards immigration is showing among groups that […]
Swiss Rail financial results disappoint
This week, Swiss Rail published its half-year results. During the first six months of 2024, the company made a profit of CHF 50.8 million, a level far below what is required for it to operate comfortably and service its debt. As a rule of thumb, to remain in good financial shape the company needs to […]
Swiss economy grows more than expected in second quarter of 2024
Switzerland’s economy grew slightly more than expected in the second quarter of 2024, reported SRF. Between April and June 2024, Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.5%. A survey of economists had expected growth for the quarter to be between 0.2% and 0.4%. The biggest driver of growth during the quarter came from industry, which […]
Swiss government plans to fund higher pensions with higher VAT
In March 2024, 58% of voters voted in favour of paying an additional 13th month of state pension. That triggered a fierce debate on how to fund it. This week, Switzerland’s Federal Council said it planned to fund the increase with higher VAT with no rise in salary taxes. The news was delivered by Elisabeth […]
