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Electricity prices in Switzerland are set for a shake up. Prices paid for electricity put into the grid are falling fast in some parts of the country, reported RTS. From 2026, these prices will be adjusted every quarter, rather than once a year. This will add further uncertainty to prices and the investment case for solar panels. Photo by William Mead on Pexels.comThe changes flow from a new set of laws accepted in a referendum in June 2024. The new law will in many cases usher in lower...

Authorities in several Swiss cantons are gearing up for a sharp rise in the number of bankruptcies this year, possibly double the number in 2024, reported SRF. Bankrupt © Tatyana Gladskikh | Dreamstime.comSome cantons are employing new staff to deal with the sharp rise, which is partly due to a change in the rules. Many companies on the edge of bankruptcy are kept alive by the forebearance of cantonal and municipal creditors. Unsurprisingly, the public sector is the largest creditor...

Currently, it is impossible for individuals to legally escape their debts in Switzerland, even when they have no chance of ever paying them back. Some find themselves trapped in debt for the rest of their lives. This week, the Federal Council unveiled a new legal procedure that will offer some heavily indebted people a second chance, reported RTS. Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.comAs an increasing number of people in Switzerland find themselves stuck in a debt trap, political pressure...

Since the beginning of the year, a new step has been added to buying fresh fruit and vegetables in Swiss supermarkets. Previously, the produce went on the scales, the relevant number was entered, a button pushed, and a price sticker produced. Now there’s an extra step: a bag choice must be made. What is going on? Swiss broadcaster RTS asked some supermarket customers about the change. Most seemed slightly confused by the question and thought the change might be an ecological initiative...

This week, the shut down of The Body Shop in Switzerland was announced, reported SRF. The brand’s 33 remaining shops will close in May 2025. Body Shop © Hermin Utomo | Dreamstime.comThe Body Shop Switzerland is a franchise owned and operated by the Coop supermarket group. Coop has said that it will not extend the franchise contract, which ends in May 2025. The Body Shop brand’s market positioning is no longer unique, said the group. The Body Shop, which was founded in 1976 in...

This week, modelling published by the Zurich Office for Economic Affairs, shows a significant shortage of workers emerging in the canton by 2050. Photo by Valentin Angel Fernandez on Pexels.comWithin 25 years, Zurich will have tens of thousands of workers less than it needs, despite a growing population. The modelling shows that as more people retire from the workforce than enter it, a gap will open up. According to the authors, immigration will not solve the problem because the shift...

In 2023, Swiss voters accepted a plan to provide subsidies to replace oil and basic electric heating with cleaner more efficient heating, such as electric heat pumps. The plan involved spending CHF 200 million a year on such incentives over a 10-year period starting on 1 January 2025. However, Switzerland’s federal parliament decided in December 2024 to cut the quantum of the subsidies in 2025 by one quarter, reported RTS. Photo by alpha innotec on Pexels.comThis belt tightening by...

The Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, has a narrow role: to ensure price stability, which means managing inflation. Sometimes in the course of this task it generates a profit. For the year ended 31 December 2024, the SNB made a profit of CHF 80 billion, of which CHF 3 billion will be paid to federal and cantonal governments. © Tamer Adel | Dreamstime.comFor many years, the SNB reliably paid a share of its profits to the government. The government, particularly those...

Until 31 December 2024 it was possible to enter Switzerland with CHF 300 of shopping per person per day without paying Swiss VAT. From 1 January 2025, the limit is CHF 150 per person per day. Carrefour © Viorel Dudau | Dreamstime.comThe Federal Council decided in October 2024 to cut the tax-free limit, despite negative reactions from many consumers and consumer associations. Politicians in some of the border cantons, St. Gallen and Thurgau in particular, have long lobbied for a...

After a stalemate last week, Switzerland’s federal parliament and upper house found a way forward this week on the abolition of imputed rent that both houses could agree on, reported SRF. Photo by Thomas P on Pexels.comFor more than seven years, the National Council and the Council of States have been discussing how to do away with the imputed rent, which is an amount added to the taxable income of homeowners. Now, after a lot of back and forth, the two houses have finally agreed on a way...