Today, Swiss voters voted on two federal initiatives: New Financial Regime 2021 and No Billag. Switzerland’s federal government must periodically seek voter approval to collect taxes. Currently, the federal government has the right to levy these taxes until 2020. Today’s New Financial Regime 2021 vote, is aimed at extending this right until 2035. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, Switzerland’s public […]
Switzerland votes this weekend on federal tax and broadcasting fee
On Sunday 4 March 2018, Swiss voters will vote on two federal initiatives. New financial regime 2021 Switzerland’s federal government must periodically seek voter approval to collect taxes. If Sunday’s vote is successful, a constitutional amendment will be made extending the government’s right to tax Swiss residents. Swiss vote results – 4 March 2018 (Le […]
Drone-snatching eagles could grace the skies of Geneva this year
Two months ago Geneva Police acquired two eagle eggs, which both successfully hatched, according to Tribune de Genève. The video above shows an eagle in training in the Netherlands two years ago. The French army has also been using the birds to capture drones. They can only be used on small drones. The French military […]
Home bag collection and check in now available for passengers flying on Swiss
Passengers travelling internationally from Geneva and Zurich airports on Swiss and Edelweiss can wave goodbye to their bags at home and collect them at their destination. The service, run in partnership with Swiss Rail, must be ordered the day before departure. Each bag costs CHF 22 on top of a base collection fee of CHF […]
Photos – Switzerland’s Siberian lakeside ice sculptures
Recent sub-zero temperatures and Arctic winds have left a dazzling array of ice sculptures on the shores of some of Switzerland’s lakes. Here is a small selection of photos from the many posted on Instagram. #icestatues on #lakegeneva #switzerland?? Une publication partagée par @ cgt_gva le 28 Févr. 2018 à 6 :54 PST Hier, #Genève en […]
Deporting foreign criminals – Geneva leads in French-speaking Switzerland
Geneva expelled more than half of all the foreign criminals deported from French-speaking Switzerland in 2017, according to statistics published by the association of police and judicial chiefs for French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. In October 2016, a new law on deporting foreign criminals came into force, the result of a vote organized by the Swiss […]
Single mum asked to repay more than 200,000 francs of welfare by Swiss municipality
A single mother in Münchenstein in the canton of Basel-Landschaft has been asked by her municipality to repay CHF 224,866 francs of welfare she received, according to a recent report by the Swiss broadcaster SRF. Life became challenging for the 43-year-old woman after she gave birth to a premature child requiring intensive care. Then her […]
Switzerland’s highly contrasting divorce rates
Switzerland is a varied patchwork of languages and cultures. Divorce rates are no different varying by as much as 27.1% depending on the canton. Across Switzerland the rate was 41.5% in 2016, far higher than 32 years earlier in 1984 when it was 28.9% – a percentage increase of 44%. An average marriage in Switzerland […]
Jobless in Switzerland after 55 – most end up longterm unemployed
Age discrimination in the Swiss job market appears to be getting worse. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of over 55s on welfare increased by 50.5%, something that cannot be fully explained by an aging population. The population aged between 56 and 64 only increased by 11.6% over the same period. Across the total population […]
Swiss federal finances – surplus of billions in 2017
While many national governments, such as the US and UK, regularly spend more than they collect, Switzerland managed a CHF 2.8 billion surplus in 2017. In addition, CHF 2 billion of withholding tax is expected, which would push the surplus up to CHF 4.8 billion. Most of the CHF 71 billion collected came from VAT […]
