Last weekend, Swiss voters rejected a plan to invest in road infrastructure, partly due to the CHF 4.9 billion price tag. This week, Switzerland’s federal parliament learned the CHF 16.4 billion budgeted for rail infrastructure expansion between now and 2035 could reach more than CHF 30 billion, reported SRF. The cost overrun was first reported […]
Swiss to vote on healthcare funding rule changes
The rising cost of Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance is a major political issue. The government has hatched a plan aimed at improving incentives in the hope it will reduce the seemingly never ending rise in health insurance premiums. However, a number of people sceptical of the plan’s ability to deliver the saving have organised a […]
Swiss to vote on tenancy laws this weekend
Most people in Switzerland rent. This means the nation has strict tenancy rules, some of which are viewed as too strict by the current government. Both parliament and the Council of States have come up with two changes aimed at limiting the actions of tenants, which are considered abusive. These two votes are the result […]
Swiss wages set to rise in 2025
In 2025, many wage earners will see their pay rise. However, the increases may not be sufficient to cover the rising costs, rising health insurance premiums in particular. Who will receive more pay next year? Migros and Coop, Switzerland’s two largest private employers have announced pay increases of 1% to 1.3%, reported SRF. Denner, which […]
Federal Council hopes to boost savings with pension change
Switzerland’s pension system has three elements. The first is a state pension linked to the number of years worked. This is funded by a tax. The second is a salary based scheme funded by salary deductions, and the third is an optional element known as the third pillar. Contributions to all of these are tax […]
End of lifelong widows’ pensions moves closer to reality
Pending new legislation means widows and widowers will soon receive a pension only until the youngest child reaches the age of 25. Currently, widows, but not widowers, receive a pension for life. For widowers the payments currently stop when the youngest child turns 18. This week, the Federal Council sent instructions to parliament to enact […]
Swiss government deficit shrinks further
This week, Switzerland’s federal government said it expects to run a deficit of CHF 900 million in 2024, a figure significantly below the original forecasted deficit of CHF 2.6 billion. The original figure has now dropped twice, once in June by CHF 1 billion and now by a further CHF 0.7 billion to CHF 0.9 […]
Children most affected by poverty in Switzerland and need more assistance, says report
A study published this week found that nearly 1 in 20 (4.8%) people under 18 in Switzerland received social welfare in 2022, reported RTS. Children made up 33% of the total population on welfare. The report called for more money to ensure this group is sufficiently supported. The 76,000 children in Switzerland receiving social assistance […]
Cutting Swiss tax free allowance sparks mixed reactions
From 2025, the tax free allowance for goods imported into Switzerland will fall from CHF 300 per person to CHF 150, decided the Federal Council this week. While some, such as Swiss retailers are happy with the change, many consumers and consumer associations are not. Politicians in St. Gallen and Thurgau, two cantons bordering on […]
Swiss farmers protest at subsidy cuts
On Wednesday, farmers came together in Bern to protest against planned cuts to subsidies, reported RTS. Because of the way farming is structured in Switzerland, farmers are heavily reliant on the support of tax payers to make ends meet. The federal government, which is running and projecting fiscal deficits, has come up with ways to […]
