This week, Bern decided patients who turn up at accident-and-emergency units with trivial complaints should not face extra charges, reported RTS. On Wednesday it rejected a parliamentary proposal to let cantons impose a levy on such visits, arguing it would add bureaucracy without easing pressure on hospitals. The idea came from Thomas Weibel, a former […]
The F-35 fiasco – price hikes, tariffs, and US intransigence
Washington has refused to guarantee a fixed price for Switzerland’s 36 F-35 fighter jets, reported RTS. The total bill will therefore exceed the CHF 6 billion approved by voters. After weeks of talks with senior White House officials—including a call between America’s defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and Switzerland’s defence minister, Martin Pfister—the United States has […]
Swiss government urges voters to back a tax on second homes to axe imputed rent
The Federal Council and Parliament urge voters to back, on 28 September 2025, a constitutional change that would let cantons levy a special property tax on owner-occupied second homes. The measure is a prerequisite for a wider reform of housing taxation that would scrap the “imputed rent” now charged to home owners. At a press […]
Swiss federal deficit far smaller than feared
Switzerland now expects a much smaller federal deficit in 2025, reported RTS. The shortfall should be about CHF 200 million, versus the CHF 800 million pencilled into the budget. Bern says the improvement does not alter its savings programme. The better than expected result driven by a windfall rather than a trend. The upgrade stems […]
Swiss central bank hit by 15 billion franc loss
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) reported a first-half loss of CHF 15.3 billion, dragged down by foreign-currency positions that turned sharply negative in the second quarter. After posting a profit of CHF 6.7 billion in the first three months of the year, the central bank recorded a loss of CHF 22 billion between April and June—wiping out earlier […]
Swiss retailers squeezed by shopping tourism
Swiss retail endured a bruising first half of 2025. Sales between January and June fell by an estimated 1.9% compared with the same period last year, according to the Swiss Retail Federation, which analysed debit and credit card transactions. Physical stores bore the brunt, with revenues dropping 2.2%, while online sales eked out a modest […]
Swiss government to subsidise night train to Sweden
On 10 July 2025, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport (FOT) announced government plans to subsidise new international rail services, with priority given to a planned Basel–Copenhagen–Malmö night train. The FOT will provide CHF 10 million a year between 2025 and 2030 to promote cross-border passenger rail, especially night services, following a mandate from the federal […]
Nearly one third of Swiss struggle to cover their expenses
Swiss households remain worried about their short-term finances, squeezed by high rents, rising health-insurance premiums and job insecurity. A survey by Comparis, an online comparison service, found that more than one in four adults expect their financial situation to worsen in 2025 compared with last year. Nearly a third report struggling to cover all their […]
Special road fee to cross Switzerland demanded in parliament
Switzerland’s roads are cheap to use. A vignette costing CHF 40 francs grants unlimited access to the motorway network for a year. Switzerland’s central location and bargain road charges draw heavy traffic, particularly at Easter, Pentecost and the start of the summer holidays, when kilometre-long queues form at the Gotthard Tunnel as travellers, many from […]
New Swiss personal bankruptcy rules face parliamentary resistance
Switzerland’s Federal Council wants to give the hopelessly indebted a fresh start. Two new legal procedures would allow individuals trapped in debt to shed their debts, but centre-right parties in parliament are pushing to water down the plans, reported SRF. The first element is aimed at debtors with a regular income and would let them […]
