By Bill Harby Upon their 50th wedding anniversary, Pierrette and Lucien Erard received an unexpected surprise: a big bouquet of flowers from the government of the town of Neuchâtel. “It’s always nice to receive a gift, especially when it’s unexpected, and from the government of my hometown”, said Madame Erard. “I was also surprised by […]
Could Switzerland language divisions ever divide it?
Christophe Büchi discusses the country’s language divisions and why we should worry about Italian-speaking Ticino. Long time correspondent in French-speaking Switzerland for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the journalist and writer is fascinated by the complex relationship between Switzerland’s French and German speakers. He spoke with Thibaut Kaeser of Echo magazine about Switzerland’s language divisions and […]
Swiss eco tax and child benefit tax exemption votes rejected
Both of these votes delivered firm “No” results. Child benefit tax exemption Only 24.6% voted “Yes” for the proposed tax exemption for child benefit payments. The voting difference between the city and the countryside was low with around 3% more rural “Yes” voters. French speaking “Yes” voters were only 7% ahead of voters in the Swiss German […]
Swiss vote: tax break for kids – Yes or No?
It is Swiss referendum time again this coming Sunday 8 March 2015. Some think that child allowances paid by the state to those with children should not be taxed. Currently they are taxed in the same way as any other taxable income. This vote entitled “Help Families” was launched by the Democratic Christian Party (PDC/CVP). […]
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 […]
Swiss choose immigration quotas over EU bilaterals
Close to half of the Swiss polled in the recent Vimentis survey would chose to introduce immigration quotas even if it meant the cancelation of European Union (EU) bilateral treaties – 45% held this view. By contrast only 41% would put preservation of the EU bilateral treaties ahead of immigration quotas. 14% were undecided on […]
Swiss embassy in Baku secretly shelters journalist
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) Press release: Geneva, 11 February (PEC) AZERBAIDJAN. The Swiss embassy in Baku has been secretly sheltering Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist Emin Huseynov for the past six months, a Swiss national television (SRF) report has revealed. The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) calls for the end of the persecution of activists […]
PEGIDA expands to Switzerland in the wake of Charlie Hebdo attack
The German PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) movement is using the outrage following the Charlie Hebdo attacks to further its cause. It was founded in October 2014 in Dresden, Germany and its Facebook page now has over 140,000 likes. It is difficult to ascertain the group’s objectives. The German news service […]
The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo hits the streets
Today, one week after the appalling attack on Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris the weekly satirical magazine published its regular weekly edition. According to the Swiss newspaper the NZZ it will be translated into 16 languages (including Arabic) and be available in Switzerland in German on Friday. The French version is expected to arrive tonight […]
From Silent Night to Explosive Night: A blaze of violence in Zurich
It is Christmas time! Time for Christmas carols, Christmas cookies and beautiful street decorations. However, Christmas time in Zürich this year seems to be a little different: On 13 December about 200 often masked rioters armed with crude weapons including iron bars plundered and vandalised the centre of Switzerland’s biggest city, causing significant damage to […]
