Tag Archives: 3) Swiss Markets and News

© Ifeelstock | Dreamstime.com In 2016, Switzerland’s government decided to tighten the VAT exemption on imported purchases, a move that affects most online orders from foreign retailers. The new rules took effect on 1 January 2019 – they were originally planned for 1 January 2018 but systems and processes were not ready. Until the beginning of this year, any order attracting less than CHF 5 francs of VAT was allowed...

Weber joined UBS as chairman following a stint as head of the German central bank. The European Union should stop dictating terms to Switzerland and start negotiating an acceptable compromise if it wants to find agreement on future ties, says UBS chairman Axel Weber. In an interview with the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, Weber said the current EU demands are unlikely to be approved by the Swiss people should they be put to...

Swiss men are happier than women on the financial front. One Swiss in two is satisfied with the state of their financial situation, according to a study. Just under a third (28%) expect their finances to improve in 2019. The French-speaking population is feeling much more positive than last year. In 2018, one fifth of French-speaking Switzerland still believed that their financial situation was deteriorating, according...

Skiers at the top of the La Berneuse mountain above Leysin in western Switzerland on December 26 Ski resorts have reported a busy period over Christmas and the New Year with numerous visitors enjoying the sunny weather and good snow conditions. The chic resort of Verbier in canton Valais registered over 20,000 skiers a day over the Christmas period, Laurent Vaucher, director of the Téléverbier lift company, told...

A perch caught on Lake Geneva in 2017 (© KEYSTONE / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT) The European perch, or Perca fluviatilis, has been named the Fish of the Year for 2019. The Swiss Fishing Association said on Wednesday external linkthat it had chosen the perch to remind the public of its popularity, particularly as a culinary delicacy in Switzerland. Around 350 tonnes of perch are caught every year by local professional...

The headquarters of Nestlé is in Vevey on the shores of Lake Geneva. The multinational has about 320,000 employees. (Keystone) The Swiss-based food and drink multinational Nestlé is the most valuable European company, according to a new international survey. Nestlé edges out Royal Dutch Shell to move into 15th position worldwide – up three places with a stock market value of $252 billion (CHF250 billion), the annual...

Eleven countries in Europe have introduced a CO2 tax on plane tickets. Opponents of such a levy won a first victory in the Swiss parliament earlier this month. An overwhelming majority of people in Switzerland appear to be in favour of introducing a tax on plane tickets to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An online poll, published by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, showed that 70% of respondents said they were...

Globalisation is not just an economic process but also has social, political and cultural aspects. (Keystone) Switzerland was the most globalised country in the world, according to a 2016 survey by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute. It moved up one place to the top compared with the previous year. The Netherlands, Belgium. Sweden and Britain followed in the next places. The United States are in 23rd place and the...

Growing old is something that happens to nearly all of us. However, according to a recent study close to one in three people (28%) reported age-related discrimination in Switzerland in 2017. ©-Photovs-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge The rate of age discrimination (28%) is higher than sexism (22%) and racism (12%), according to Christian Maggiori, a professor focused on social work interviewed by the newspaper La...

Hans Hess (centre) says the time is right for Switzerland to agree an umbrella deal with the EU. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge Switzerland’s largest industrial employer, the Association of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industries, has come out in favour of a controversial accord, covering relations with the European Union. Hans Hess, president of Swissmem, said the draft agreement was tailor-made for...