Tag Archive: Editor’s Choice

No weakening expected in Swiss house prices

2022-01-10

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2022-01-10

The Swiss housing market continues to rise with no signs of weakening, reported RTS this week. According to the real estate platform immoscout24, the average price per m2 for a family home in Switzerland has risen from CHF 6,700 to CHF 7,200 over the last 12 months, a rise of 7%. Apartment prices have risen even further in some places.

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Switzerland set to tax e-cigarettes

2021-12-25

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2021-12-25

On 17 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council put forward a plan to tax the liquids used for e-cigarettes, reported RTS. The Federal Council is proposing a tax similar to the tax on tobacco but at a lower rate in line with e-cigarettes’ lower toxicity. The government does not want to discourage tobacco smokers from transitioning to e-cigarettes and proposes a rate 77% lower than the tax on tobacco cigarettes.

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Two Swiss cities remain in top 10 most expensive globally

2021-12-04

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2021-12-04

The latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey of the prices of 200 goods and services in 173 cities placed both Geneva and Zurich in the top 10 most expensive cities in 2021. Overall, the cost of living across these 173 cities has risen by an average of 3.5%, the highest inflation seen in the last 5 years.

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Majority of Swiss in favour of compulsory vaccination, according to poll

2021-12-01

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2021-12-01

According to poll results published over the weekend, 53% of those surveyed in Switzerland were in favour of making Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory, a percentage that rose to 69% for those working in the health sector, reported 20 Minutes.

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Average Swiss household income reaches nearly 115,000 francs

2021-11-29

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2021-11-29

The gross mean household income in Switzerland was CHF 114,984 (US$ 125,000) in 2019, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Overall, 40% of households in Switzerland had income over this mean while 60% brought in less.

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Swiss Federal Council rejects two votes on pension reform

2021-11-28

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2021-11-28

This week, the Federal Council rejected two very different initiatives aimed at changing the state pension system. In common with much of the developed world, Switzerland is facing a large gap between the money required to fund state pensions and the money flowing in to pay for them, a challenge driven by increasing life expectancy, a rise in the number of pensioners as the population ages and the way the system is funded.

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Lights out – Geneva to cut lights to save electricity

2021-11-20

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2021-11-20

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.

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Zermatt restaurant operators in prison after defying Covid rules

2021-11-03

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2021-11-03

Over the weekend the owners of a family-run restaurant were taken into police custody for defiantly operating their restaurant in contravention of Switzerland’s Covid rules, reported 20 Minutes.

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Covid: new cases up 30 percent this week in Switzerland

2021-11-01

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2021-11-01

This week, 10,148 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 30% from the 7,818 recorded the week before. On a 7-day moving average basis, the number of daily new cases was 1,450.

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Last authorised protest in Bern ahead of anti-Covid vote takes place peacefully

2021-10-31

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2021-10-31

Last weekend, several thousand protestors assembled outside the Federal Palace in Bern to voice their opposition to Switzerland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Tribune de Genève.

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Swiss government deficit for 2021 revised down

2021-10-30

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2021-10-30

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.

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Swiss life expectancy drops sharply in 2020

2021-10-29

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2021-10-29

Recently published figures show the largest fall in male life expectancy in Switzerland since 1944 and the largest since 1962 for women.

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Thousands protest against Covid measures in Switzerland

2021-10-20

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2021-10-20

Over the weekend, several thousand people took to Swiss streets to protest against Switzerland’s measures to reduce the impact of Covid-19, reported RTS.

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Swiss unemployment down, especially among young

2021-10-12

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2021-10-12

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, something required to collect unemployment benefits.

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Swiss opposition to extension of Covid certificates lower than perceived

2021-10-09

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2021-10-09

According to a recent survey, one third of Swiss are against the extension of Covid certificates. But most think opposition is higher.

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Covid: non-mRNA vaccine soon available in Switzerland

2021-10-02

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2021-10-02

On 29 September 2021, Switzerland’s government announced it had signed a contract with Johnson & Johnson to receive 150,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. The delivery of the doses is expected next week.

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Swiss health premiums to rise for many in 2022 despite average price fall

2021-09-30

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2021-09-30

Compulsory Swiss health insurance premiums are on average set to fall by 0.2% in 2022, announced the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) on 28 September 2021. This is the first time since 2008 that average premiums have fallen. © Francisco Javier Zea Lara | Dreamstime.comBasic health insurance is compulsory in Switzerland and governed by federal law called LAMal. Insurers must offer basic insurance to everyone who applies regardless of...

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Swiss government defends its strategy ahead of second anti-Covid vote

2021-09-28

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2021-09-28

On 28 November 2021, Swiss voters will be asked whether they accept laws passed by the government on 19 March 2021 that paved the way for the introduction of Switzerland’s Covid certificate, a system that provides proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test.

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Swiss pandemic spending low when compared internationally

2021-09-27

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2021-09-27

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.

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Health expert recommends Covid certificates for Swiss ski lifts

2021-09-18

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2021-09-18

Lukas Engelberger, head of the association of cantonal health directors, has recommended making Covid certificates compulsory for riding on Swiss ski lifts, reported Le Nouvelliste.

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