Negative government budgets are not the norm in Switzerland. Over the 23 years since 2000, 14 federal budgets have been positive and 9 negative. This week the federal government signed off on a negative budget for 2023 with a hole of CHF 4.8 billion in it, bringing the number of negative budgets since 2000 to […]
Switzerland’s high online purchase return rate
In Switzerland, 15.6% of purchases are made online, slightly above the European average of 15.5%, according to a survey by the delivery company DPD. However, when it comes to returning items Swiss e-shoppers are far above the European average. The most common items bought online in Switzerland are books, clothing and shoes. 49% of books, […]
Swiss inflation remains at 3% in November
In November 2022, Switzerland’s consumer price index remained stable. At the end of November 2022, the price of the same basket of goods was 3% higher than it was at the end of November 2021, the same level as it was at the end of October 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office. However, the […]
No rise in Switzerland’s rent rate
Every three months the rate of interest used to set the rents in Switzerland is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. If it goes up landlords can push up rents. This time the rate remained at 1.25%, however it looks set to rise next year. […]
Swiss rents set to rise as much as 15 percent
Close to half of renters is Switzerland could face significant increases in rent, estimates Zürich Kantonalbank (ZKB), with rents potentially rising as much as 15% over the next five years, reported the newspaper Blick. The reference mortgage rate used to set rents, which was has been 1.25% since March 2020 could rise as high as […]
Switzerland’s 2023 motorway vignette unveiled
Every year Switzerland’s motorway vignette is a different colour. Next year it’s yellow. Valid from 1 December 2022 until 31 January 2024, the new stickers must be displayed by anyone using Switzerland’s motorway network. The price remains the same. The motorway stickers have cost CHF 40 for 28 years. Introduced after a referendum in 1985, […]
Inter-cantonal tax transfers to rise 5 percent in 2023
On 16 November 2022, Switzerland’s federal government announced the sums that will be transferred between the nation’s statelets or cantons in 2023, a mechanism aimed at ensuring wealthy cantons support those with weaker economies. In 2023, CHF 5.6 billion will be transferred, a sum CHF 290 million greater than in 2022 (+5%). The total sum […]
Confidential drug deals push up cost of Swiss healthcare, claims association
Around CHF 8 billion is spent annually on medicines prescribed for specific diseases in Switzerland. 20 drugs account for about a fifth of this cost, many of them sold at prices negotiated in secret. These confidential drug price negotiations are one of the reasons the cost of Swiss healthcare is rising so fast, claims Curafutura, […]
Swiss hotels soon allowed to undercut platforms on price
Many agencies and online platforms get hotels to sign contracts that stop them offering prices lower than those offered by the agency or platform. From 1 December 2022, it will no longer possible to legally enforce these arrangements as they will be deemed an unfair trading practice. On 16 November 2022, the Federal Council brought […]
Vote on pension reform most divisive in Swiss history
Switzerland’s recent vote on state pension reform on 25 September 2022, divided men and women, reported RTS. The vote was split into two parts. The first asked whether the state pension age for women should rise from 64 to 65 to bring it into line with the pension age for men. The second part asked […]
