Tag Archives: Editor’s Choice

One way to reduce the cost of compulsory Swiss health insurance is to choose a high deductible. Currently, some people do this and then postpone treatment until they’ve switched to a lower deductible the following year. © Gregory Alekhin. | Dreamstime.com Recently, Switzerland’s parliament voted 113 against 60 in favour of locking in deductibles for three years to reduce this practice of switching deductibles from year to year. Going forward, it will be possible to switch insurers every year...

When shoppers see a discount they typically assume the original price is correct. However, this is not always the case, as some hidden price labels have revealed. This week Ochsner, one of the Swiss retailers caught with suspect price discount labels, was fined CHF 4,000, according to the newspaper 20 minutes. Tandis que Manor dément avoir voulu tromper ses clients, Ochsner a été condamné à une amende minime pour sa pratique à large échelle des faux soldes. https://t.co/TWxaxJ6m9P — 20...

On 1 December 2018, Switzerland’s flag carrier started offering cheese fondue on flights out of Geneva. © Margouillat | Dreamstime.com The dish is a new addition to the airline’s Swiss Saveurs menu, which was launched six months earlier. The pre-heated, specially packaged fondue, which is 50% Vacherin Fribourg and 50% Gruyère cheese, is available on Swiss flights from Geneva to Malaga, Athens, Stockholm, Moscow, Gothenburg, Hurghada, Lisbon, St Petersburg and Marrakesh. The 200 gram portion...

Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it remained at 1.50%. ©-Sergei-Razvodovskij-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge The last time it dropped was 2 June 2017 when it fell to 1.5%, its lowest level since 2008. The rate is based on the average Swiss mortgage rate over three months. This rate is...

The latest figures show that Swiss salaries have not kept up with inflation. An average Swiss salary rose 0.4% in 2017, compared to inflation of 0.5%. This left the average salary earner 0.1% worse off in real terms over the year. © Convisum | Dreamstime.com The figures were the same for both the secondary and tertiary sectors. The rise in 2017 (+0.4%) was the same as 2016 (+0.4%) but less than 2015 (+0.5%) and 2014 (+0.9%). Average annual salary increases in Switzerland have been below 1%...

Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it remained at 1.50%. © Sergei Razvodovskij | Dreamstime.com The last time it dropped was 2 June 2017 when it fell to 1.5%, its lowest level since 2008. The rate is based on the average Swiss mortgage rate over three months. This rate is then rounded to the nearest 0.25%. On 30 September 2018 that rate was 1.47%, which rounds to...

Third quarter Swiss GDP figures released yesterday show Switzerland’s economy shrank compared to the quarter before. © Tobias Arhelger | Dreamstime.com GDP for the quarter to September was down by 0.2% compared to the quarter before, ending an 18-month run of quarterly growth. The fall in Swiss GDP follows a quarterly slowdown across the rest of Europe, in Germany in particular. A fall in the output of Germany’s automotive sector has had a knock on effect in Switzerland. Swiss manufacturing...

A recently published study ranks Switzerland 10th on gender pay gap. Switzerland’s gap of 17% is bigger than Italy’s (5.3%), Luxembourg’s (5.5%), Belgium’s (6.1%), Sweden’s (13.3%), Spain’s (14.2%), Denmark’s (15%), France’s (15.2%) or the Netherlands’ (15.6%), but lower than Finland’s (17.4%), Portugal’s (17.5%), Austria’s (20.1%), the UK’s (21%) or Germany’s (21.5%). © Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com Confusion around aggregate pay gap figures leads some to conclude women are getting paid...

This week, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided the planned electronic motorway vignette will be optional. Drivers will be able to choose. ©-Denis-Linine-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge Anyone wanting to drive on Switzerland’s motorway network must first buy a vignette, a road tax sticker introduced in 1985, which must be displayed on the windscreen. It currently costs CHF 40. The government’s announcement that...

Switzerland’s unemployment benefits might be generous but they are strictly policed, as one recipient recently discovered. ©-Phartisan-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge For a period of up to approximately two years after losing a job, most workers in Switzerland receive 70% of their former salary up to a maximum of CHF 88,200 a year – the amount paid varies depending on circumstances1. To continue receiving the...