This week, the government of the canton of Geneva changed a law to require non residential buildings, with some exceptions, to switch off their lights at night between 1am and 6am. Thursday’s parliamentary vote in favour of the move is expected to cut the canton’s electricity consumption by at least 1%. During parts of winter, […]
Switzerland’s fastest and slowest growth cantons
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office published the latest cantonal GDP figures. Switzerland’s overall GDP growth in 2019 was 1.2%. However there were wide cantonal differences. The six fastest growing cantons in 2019 were Obwalden (+3.5%), Glarus (+3.2%), Zug (+2.7%), Basel-City (+2.6%), Luzern (+2.6%) and Valais (+2.5%). At the other end of the spectrum were […]
Inflation continues to rise in Switzerland reaching 3-year high
At the end of October 2021, annual inflation in Switzerland reached 1.2% after rising 0.3% over the month, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This is the highest the annual rate has been since August 2018 when it reached 1.2%. The price rises hitting Swiss pockets the hardest over the last 12 months include rent […]
Swiss government deficit for 2021 revised down
The latest forecast for 2021 shows a deficit of CHF 14.8 billion, down CHF 2.6 billion from an earlier forecast shortfall of CHF 17.4 billion. The deficit is driven mainly by the extraordinary cost of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. The federal government expects to spend CHF 4.1 billion on vaccines (1.2) and tests (2.5) […]
Geo-blocking set to be banned in Switzerland
Geo-blocking is the practice of pushing online shoppers to a version of a website based on their geographic location. Many consumers would like to see the practice made illegal and Swiss laws look set to make it so, according to the NZZ am Sonntag, reported Le Matin. Geo-blocking and filtering is particularly pernicious in a […]
Swiss unemployment down, especially among young
Unemployment fell from 2.7% to 2.6% in September 2021 in Switzerland, with a sharp drop among those aged 15 to 24, reported RTS. By the end of September 2021, just over 200,000 people were looking for employment in Switzerland according to Switzerland’s standard measure, which is focused on those registered with the official unemployment office, […]
Assura’s health premium rise exceeds its refund
On 4 October 2021, Assura, one of Switzerland’s largest providers of health insurance, informed 500,000 policy holders they would receive a refund. Earlier, on 28 September 2021, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), presented the company’s premiums for 2022. For many policy holders, next year’s premium increases will substantially exceed this year’s refunds. Next […]
Swiss advisory firms exposed in Pandora Papers
The Pandora Papers, a leak of more than 11.9 million files from offshore service providers, reveal the widespread involvement of Swiss advisory firms in the set up of shell companies in tax havens. The recent Pandora Papers contain far more information than the Panama Papers, which were leaked in 2016 and resulted in the fall […]
Swiss pandemic spending low when compared internationally
The think tank Avenir Suisse has calculated that in 2020 the Swiss federal government spent CHF 5 per person per day on the pandemic, a total of CHF 41 million a day. While an enormous sum, this compares favourably to a number of other nations. For example, the UK spent CHF 8 francs per person […]
Swiss health insurer announces plan to refund 400 million francs
The Swiss health insurer Groupe Mutuel announced that it plans to refund CHF 400 million to its policy holders, according to RTS. The company, which started returning money to its policy holders two years ago hopes to provide further premium rebates over the next three years. Last year the company returned CHF 101 million and […]
