Taxes and insurance eat up almost 30percent of Swiss household income

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Lodging and energy bills amounted to an average of 14.7% of household revenue.

Swiss households spend an average of 29% on mandatory payments like taxes, social contributions and health insurance.

Figures released by the Swiss Statistical Office on Monday reveal that, based on 2016 data, a Swiss household had an average income of CHF7,124 ($7,140), of which CHF2,910 was eaten up by unavoidable expenses. Of these expenses, taxes constituted 11.5%, social contributions 9.7%, and health insurance 6.2%.

Fixed expenses with a greater margin of choice also made a significant dent in the household budget. Lodging and energy bills added up to an average of 14.7% of revenue (CHF1,476) while transport came to 7.7% and the grocery bill 6.3%.

After paying the bills and splurging on life’s little luxuries, the average household was able to set aside CHF1,551 for a rainy day or 15.5% of income. Households bringing in less than CHF5,000 were generally unable to contribute to savings and often spent more than they earned. However, this statistic is skewed by the relatively high proportion of retiree households (61%) in this revenue bracket who pay for part of their expenses from their savings.

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SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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