Another day in Happy Valley…with warmer weather and budding trees suggesting that spring finally is on its way. So too is the tradition of doing some spring skiing, before the thoughts of the denizens of Happy Valley turn completely from schussing down the ski-hill, to boating across Lake Leman to buy various goods in France […]
A Geneva taxi can cost more than your flight
Recent research shows how expensive airport taxis can be. Many people don’t include these costs in travel budgets and can often be in for a shock. Geneva is known to be an expensive destination, however the cost of a Geneva taxi compared to other cities is surprisingly high. Simon Phillips from No1 Currency, which conducted […]
Uncle Sam seeks expat ideas on tax reform
A record number of US citizens renounced their citizenship last year and one of the most common reasons for this was the costs and time required to comply with America’s complicated tax rules. It seems that some in the US senate have heard the cries of their expatriates. A bipartisan group including Democrats and Republicans […]
Swiss property prices on the way down
Credit Suisse’s recent annual property report describes the downward forces on Swiss property prices and explains why a soft landing is not guaranteed. The report also looks at the cities and regions most at risk. Swiss franc shock Swiss real estate was already poised to head into the downward part of the property cycle before […]
Geneva’s bread world’s third most expensive – Economist Intelligence Unit
According to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2015 survey published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), one kilogram of bread in Geneva costs US$ 7.48. This is the third most expensive of the world’s top ten most expensive cities. Only Paris and Seoul have more expensive bread, costing US$ 8.83 and US$ 13.91 per kilogram respectively. After looking […]
The Swiss tax money go-round: winners and losers in 2015
Swiss cantons have very different tax bases, tax rates and costs. Many think all taxes raised by each canton are spent there. This was true, however in 2008 it changed. A national financial equalization mechanism (or péréquation financière nationale in French) was introduced to reduce cantonal financial disparities. Now every year rich cantons pay and poor cantons […]
Why Swiss farm produce is so expensive
Swiss farm produce is expensive. It is not uncommon to pay over CHF 100 (US$ 105) per kilogram for the best cuts of beef in Swiss supermarkets, a multiple of two to three times the price of many other countries. Similarly high prices exist for many other farm products in Switzerland. Why is this? Small […]
French tax on Swiss inheritance becomes a reality
Since 1 January 2015 French residents receiving Swiss inheritance are subject to French taxes on it. Many are up in arms at what they see as a predatory French tax grab and are calling for further negotiations to establish a new agreement to replace the 60 year Franco-Swiss accord that ended at the end of […]
Switzerland – staring down the barrel of deflation
The recent rise in the Swiss franc is driving deflation in Switzerland. The prices of imported goods are declining and there is talk of reducing salaries in some corners. Deflation is bad for an economy, particularly for the heavily indebted – your mortgage remains the same even if your salary declines and Government debts increase […]
Where the top 1% live – Switzerland leads
There was much talk of inequality at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. It is ironic then that the host country Switzerland has the greatest percentage of residents in the top 1% of the world’s wealthiest. Over 13% of Swiss are in this group, the highest proportion in the world according to the Credit […]
