On 7 March 2021, a vote to ban face covering at a federal level was accepted by 51.2% of Swiss voters. Since then the government has been working on implementing the decision. This week it presented the details. After the latest consultation on the subject the Federal Council decided on Wednesday on a maximum fine of CHF 1,000 instead of […]
Numerous Swiss health insurance price comparison sites misleading
Ahead of deciding on where best to insure in 2023 numerous websites claim to offer reliable health insurance comparison tools. However, many cannot be trusted, according to a report by RTS. Nine out the 16 websites reviewed by a consumer advocacy association failed the test. The nine failing sites offered no product comparison. Instead they […]
More than 70% of Swiss homes heated by burning stuff
Statistics published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), show that 70.1% of homes in Switzerland are heated by burning either mazout (heating oil), gas or wood. Across Switzerland 40.7% of homes are heated with mazout or heating oil. A further 17.6% are heated by burning gas and 11.8% by burning wood. These high […]
Inflation turns negative in Switzerland in September
In September 2022, Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.2% compared with the previous month, according to data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The 0.2% month-on-month fall was due to falling prices for fuels, heating oil, hotels and related accommodation. Falls in the prices of these items were offset by higher clothing and […]
Chart of the week: the life expectancy gap
In Switzerland, the gap between male and female life expectancy at birth has been shrinking. However, the gap in life expectancy at the age of 65, which only emerged in 1876 has remained relatively consistent over the last two decades, according to statistics from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Over the last 20 years it […]
Foreigners most at risk of domestic violence in Switzerland
In 2021, 11,148 people reported being victims of domestic violence in Switzerland, according to figures reported this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This figure represents 0.13% of the population or 13 out of every 10,000. Overall, women and girls (18 per 10,000) were 2.3 times more likely than men and boys (8 per […]
Swiss government decides to review plan to axe imputed rent
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 1940s to fund budget shortfalls. Switzerland’s government has agreed to remove the tax. However, this week, parliament sent the latest plan back to the drawing board, reported 20 Minutes. Some […]
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 […]
