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On 4 July 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published June inflation data, which show prices 3.4% higher than one year ago, well above the Swiss National Bank target of 2.0%. Photo by Ahmed Muntasir on Pexels.comSwitzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.5% in June 2022, less than the 0.7% rise in May 2022. At the end of May 2022, annual inflation was 2.9%. By the end of June 2022 it was 3.4%, the highest since 1993. Big drivers of rising prices continue...

Switzerland faces a potential gas shortage next winter, warns Switzerland’s Federal Council. Reduced consumption or rationing cannot be ruled out, it warns. © Katie Nesling | Dreamstime.comAt a press conference in Bern on Wednesday, economy minister Guy Parmelin said that there is a very real risk of a gas shortage over winter, reported RTS. Around three quarters of the gas used in Switzerland comes from Germany, he said. If storage facilities cannot be filled as planned a shortage in...

In Switzerland, it is possible to pay delinquent debts with large sums of cash. Some criminals are using the loophole to launder money, reports Le Matin. Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.comSwiss broadcaster SRF investigated several official debt enforcement offices across Switzerland and found that large sums of cash were passing through some of them. In Geneva, CHF 24 million of cash passed through its cantonal offices des poursuites in 2021, some of it dirty, according to SRF. It...

This week, the Swiss franc rose to beyond parity with the euro as traders sought safe haven assets as concerns about risks to global growth grew. © Cameracraft8 | Dreamstime.comThe Euro-Swiss Franc pair fell below 1.00 franc per euro during the morning of 29 June 2022 and remained below 1.00 until the morning of 1 July 2022 when the value of a euro exceed that of a franc. The pair has not been this low since 2015. The rise has been driven by the franc’s haven status and the Swiss...

A survey found that the Swiss pay far more for concert tickets that their European neighbours. And the differences are significant, with Swiss price premiums ranging from 40% to 77% depending on the performer, reports RTS. Photo by picjumbo.com on Pexels.comAccording to Bon à Savoir, the consumer association behind the survey, there are many examples of inflated Swiss concert prices. For example, the cheapest spots to see the Rolling Stones in Bern were CHF 170. In Munich, the same ticket...

Ueli Maurer, Switzerland’s finance minister, is concerned about Switzerland’s finances after a recent round of decisions to substantially increase public spending. Swiss finance minister Ueli MaurerDuring June 2022, Switzerland’s parliament agreed to significant increases to spending on the army, healthcare and the environment. The situation is not sustainable Maurer told SRF. In June, parliament agreed to boost military spending by CHF 2 billion, raising it from CHF 5 to CHF 7 billion...

This week, a project to build an underground freight tunnel network stretching from Geneva to St Gallen, was given a start date of 1 August 2022 by the Federal Council, reported RTS. The Cargo sous terrain (CST) project will connect Switzerland’s key hubs starting in 2031. CST aims to take the strain off the road and railway networks, reduce the environmental impact of transport and improve the delivery of goods across the country. The project, which was launched in 2013, includes a...

The cost of Swiss health insurance has risen sharply over the years. However, the amount that can be deducted from income to calculate federal taxes has remained comparatively low. This week, Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of closing the gap between the standardised health insurance tax deductions and what people actually pay, reported RTS. Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.comThe current deductions are CHF 1,700 for an adult, CHF 3,500 for a married couple and CHF 700 for...

From 1 July 2022, psychotherapy provided by trained psychologists will be reimbursed under Switzerland’s basic compulsory health insurance, reported RTS. Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels.comTo qualify for reimbursement the service will need to be prescribed by a doctor and meet certain conditions. Pricing for the service remains to be set. The federal government and cantons still need to work out a price for reimbursable services. In the meantime, a provisional rate of CHF 154.80 will...

Switzerland has four national languages but most of the population is fluent in only one of them. When politicians come together in Bern they generally speak in their home language assuming others present understand them, even if they cannot really speak the language spoken. This week, Pierre Nebel, a reporter at RTS, explored the level of French comprehension among non-French speakers in the Federal Palace. © William87 | Dreamstime.comThe most widely spoken language in Switzerland is...