Tag Archives: Business & Economy

Switzerland’s federal government plans to restrict the use of electric vehicles if there is a serious shortage of electricity, reported RTS. Photo by Mike B on Pexels.comElectric vehicles consume substantial amounts of electricity. An average Swiss car travels 13,500 km per year. An average electric cars consumes nearly 200 Wh/km. This means a household with two electric cars could be consuming 5,400 kWh annually powering their vehicles, a substantial amount and more than the electrical...

On 12 January 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to implement the minimum tax rate for companies that was agreed by the OECD and G20 member states in 2021. The 15% minimum tax, which will be applied to large companies from 1 January 2024, will generate extra tax revenue. This week, after a degree of wrangling, the government agreed to split the extra tax collected 75%/25% in favour of the cantons. © Ginasanders | Dreamstime.comThe new rate of 15% will be applied to all companies...

In November 2022, Switzerland’s consumer price index remained stable. At the end of November 2022, the price of the same basket of goods was 3% higher than it was at the end of November 2021, the same level as it was at the end of October 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.comHowever, the headline inflation figure of 0% for the month of November 2022 hid a mixed bag of price movements. The prices of rents (+0.4%), gas (+2.1%), petrol...

On 23 November 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council adopted the latest round of EU sanctions against Russia. © Petr Pohudka | Dreamstime.comIn response to Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, as well as Russia’s continued efforts to destabilise and undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and security, the European Union (EU) adopted new measures against Russia on 6 October as part of the eighth package of sanctions, said the Swiss government. Following...

The Swiss cheese fondu “moitié-moitié”, which means half-half in English, will soon have its own figurative trademark, reports RTS. On 16 November 2022, the cheese producers’ association in the canton of Fribourg announced that it had applied for a trademark for the well-known “moitié-moitié” cheese fondu, which is made up of a 50/50 mix of Gruyere AOP and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP cheeses made in the canton of Fribourg. According to the association, the trademark is needed because the...

After construction workers went out on strike for two days in French-speaking Switzerland, construction workers protested in Zurich over hours and pay on 11 November 2022, reported RTS. Photo by Rodolfo Quirós on Pexels.comWith inflation in Switzerland running at 3%, construction workers are demanding higher pay. However, the construction industry has responded with an offer of better pay tied to higher maximum hours. The industry would like maximum weekly hours to rise to 58 and the...

After construction workers went out on strike for two days in French-speaking Switzerland, construction workers protested in Zurich over hours and pay on 11 November 2022, reported RTS. Photo by Rodolfo Quirós on Pexels.comWith inflation in Switzerland running at 3%, construction workers are demanding higher pay. However, the construction industry has responded with an offer of better pay tied to higher maximum hours. The industry would like maximum weekly hours to...

An inquiry presented this week by RTS reveals evidence of likely vote buying related to the choice of Qatar for the 2022 Football World Cup due to start on 20 November 2022. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comA cloud of corruption has hung over FIFA since 2010 when Qatar was chosen by 14 votes to 8 as the place for the 2022 World Cup. The US was the front runner, however, tiny Qatar, a nation with little in the way of football culture and infrastructure, was chosen. Suspicion has abounded ever...

On 10 November 2022, Switzerland and the UK, two nations outside the EU, signed an agreement deepening the relationship between the two nations’ research and innovation communities. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comThe agreement was signed by UK Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, George Freeman MP, alongside Federal Councillor Parmelin, Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, at a ceremony in London. According to the UK...

Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) remained stable in October 2022 compared with the previous month, reported Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.comThis left year-on-year inflation at the end of October 2022 at 3%, the same level that it was at the end of September 2022. The stability of the index compared with the previous month is due to opposing trends that counterbalanced each other overall. Prices for gas, heating...