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It is well known that the Swiss are overcharged for nearly everything. However, when products are being sent from a warehouse outside Switzerland one would expect the pre-tax price to be the same. This is rarely the case. The Romande Consumer Federation (FRC) has looked at a number of brands and found unjustifiable price differences as high as 93%. © Casimirokt | Dreamstime.com The FRC found an average price difference of +35% on clothing, sportswear, white goods, video games,...

Many Swiss car insurance providers plan to substantially raise premiums this year, according to research by RTS. Some customers are already reporting hikes of around 20%. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com According to RTS, most insurers, including AXA, Generali, Helvetia, Postfinance, Zurich and Smile Insurance, are planning to increase their premiums. Some insurance companies justify the premium increases as necessary to cover rising repair costs. Cars have become more high tech and...

Switzerland has strict zoning and construction laws. Federal land use planning laws (LAT) were first proposed in 1979. Since becoming law they have been through a number of modifications. A successful vote in 2013 tightened zoning rules further. This week, SRF reported on two houses that ended up on the demolition list. Photo by Minsu B on Pexels.comDespite municipal construction approval, certain homes are on the hit list. One in the canton of Ticino has already been demolished and...

Every three months the Federal Housing Office (FHO) adjusts the reference rate used to set rents in many rental contracts. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it dropped 0.25% to 1.50%. Photo by Susanna Marsiglia on Pexels.comThe reference rate is based on average mortgage interest rates. At 31 December 2024, the average mortgage interest rate was 1.53%, down from 1.63% a quarter earlier. The reference rate rounds to the nearest quarter of...

To coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March, The Economist publishes an annual study on the best places to be a working woman across the OECD. This year, Switzerland is ranked 26th out of 29 nations, the same position as last year. Only Japan, Turkey and South Korea rank lower. Photo by Alex P on Pexels.comThe main reason behind Switzerland’s poor rank is likely well known to most families where both mum and dad work: the high cost childcare. Switzerland has the highest...

Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.1% in January 2025. Across 12 months inflation was +0.4%, reported the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Annual inflation at the end of January 2025 is the lowest it has been since April 2021 when it was +0.3%. © Rochu2008 | Dreamstime.comWhile many nations, such as the UK and the US, are struggling to rein in inflation, Switzerland is going against the grain. In the US annual inflation rose to 3% at the end of January 2025 and in...

In the very early days of skiing, checking whether skiers had valid ski passes was hit and miss. However, today, with modern technology it has become easy. According to a report by SRF, the ski resort of Verbier catches an average of three to four people a day passing through the turnstiles with a ‘borrowed’ ski pass. Every year the resort catches around 500 cheats and issues fines of more than CHF 100,000. The resort has cameras next to the turnstiles. These cameras allow real time...

Relative to the price of many things, the price of milk in Switzerland is low. A litre of milk in a Swiss supermarket typically costs between CHF 1.50 and CHF 2.00. Plant milk alternatives often cost close to CHF 3.00. Of the retail price paid for milk only 70 cents makes it into the pockets of dairy farmers. Milk Switzerland © William Bode | Dreamstime.comThis week, dairy producers in Zurich announced the creation of an association to set a higher price. The current price of 70 cents is...

The latest figures from the Federal Finance Administration (FFA) show that Swiss taxpayers paid more income tax than any year since 2008, reported RTS. The average rate of cantonal and municipal tax paid reached 19.6% of income. This percentage is in addition to federal taxes and payroll taxes. © Bigpressphoto | Dreamstime.comThe rate of tax paid ranged from 12% in the canton of Zug to 25.6% in the canton of Vaud. At 25.5%, Geneva was second. The average rate rose in half of cantons and...

Finding a place to live in Switzerland is increasingly difficult. Scammers have noticed and are cashing in on the desperation experienced by some seeking a place to live, reported the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a federal government agency. A scam ad on a property listing website for a four-and-a-half room apartment in the canton of Zurich for only CHF 1100 per month.Across much of Switzerland housing vacancy rates are less than 1%. In the cantons of Zug and Geneva rates are...