Crime has risen in Switzerland since 2022, led by a sharp increase in fraud, according to the Crime Survey 2025 by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the University of St Gallen. Most people nonetheless still regard the country as safe. Of those surveyed in 2025, 15.9% said they had been victims of […]
Swiss minister defends VAT rise to fund higher state pension
Swiss social affairs minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has defended a proposed increase in value-added tax (VAT) to help finance the 13th annual pension payment. Voters will decide on the measure in a referendum on November 29th. “A ‘no’ would have serious consequences,” Ms Baume-Schneider warned at a press conference in Bern, reported RTS. Without additional revenue, […]
Vaud’s vote to cut taxes won’t turn it into a tax haven
Voters in Vaud approved a 12% cut in income and wealth taxes on Sunday, with 53.1% backing the initiative. The measure will not turn the canton into a tax haven. Even after the cut, Vaud’s tax burden will remain above the national average. Vaud’s residents will continue to rank among the most heavily taxed in […]
Swiss health premiums rise again, but ageing is only part of the story
Swiss health-insurance premiums are going up again. Average compulsory premiums will rise by 5% in 2027, to CHF 412 (US$ 500) a month. Anyone wondering what they will pay next year can check the federal government’s premium calculator. One common explanation for the relentless increase is Switzerland’s ageing population. Older people consume more medical care, […]
Swiss parental-leave initiative gathers more than 100,000 signatures
Swiss voters are likely to have their say on a proposal to introduce parental leave. The Green Liberals announced on Wednesday that they had submitted 112,517 signatures in support of the initiative to the Federal Chancellery for verification. The number of signatures comfortably exceeds the required threshold, subject to official verification. The initiative is also […]
More than 700 medicines face shortages in Switzerland
More than 700 medicines are currently affected by supply bottlenecks in Switzerland, according to drugshortage.ch, a platform run by Enea Martinelli, a hospital pharmacist. Mr Martinelli is also behind a popular initiative that would require the federal government to do more to secure the supply of medicines. The proposal, backed by a broad coalition from […]
Major job cuts planned at Switzerland’s second largest mobile operator
Sunrise, Switzerland’s second-largest telecoms company, is planning another round of job cuts. Up to 450 positions could go, equivalent to almost 16% of its current workforce, reported RTS. The cuts form part of a broader overhaul of the company’s operating model. Sunrise says it wants to focus its organisation more closely on customer retention, network […]
Chinese delivery company to launch in Switzerland
Temu and Shein are sending a growing number of packages to Switzerland. A Chinese logistics firm now wants a share of their delivery business. Helped by heavy advertising and rock-bottom prices Chinese online retailers are squeezing domestic e-commerce firms. Now a Chinese logistics company is following them into the market and may squeeze existing parcel […]
Low water on the Rhine pushes up Swiss prices
Low water is making inland shipping less reliable. More freight may move by road and rail, pushing up transport costs—and, eventually, consumer prices. In August the Rhine at Kaub, a key measuring point in Germany, fell to just six centimetres, a record low, according to Reuters. The Rhine was not alone. Rivers across Europe, including […]
Swiss central bank maintains world’s lowest rate
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has left its policy rate unchanged at zero, the lowest policy rate in the world. Inflation remains subdued. Consumer prices rose by 0.8% in August, the highest rate in two years but still comfortably within the SNB’s definition of price stability, which covers inflation of between zero and 2%. The […]
