Tag Archives: Featured

© Viktoriia Novokhatska | Dreamstime.com At its meeting on 27 November 2019, the Federal Council set out its plan for the refund of value-added tax (VAT) on Switzerland’s radio and television licence, formerly known as Billag. Between 2010 and 2015, VAT was charged on Swiss television and radio licences. The Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, has stated in two judgments that no VAT may be levied on the licence and that the federal government must repay...

Industrial products, including cars, will be affected. (© Keystone / Gaetan Bally) Import duties on various products including cars, clothes, and household appliances are set to be removed in Switzerland. If parliament approves the plan, the measure will enter into force in 2022. Finance Minister Guy Parmelin announced the plan on Wednesday after what the government described as a very positive consultation process with stakeholders. The removal of the duties on a...

It wasn’t just the unemployment rate which was one of the key reasons why Economists and central bankers (redundant) felt confident enough to inspire 2017’s inflation hysteria. There was actually another piece to it, a bigger piece potentially complimentary and corroborative bit of conjecture. I write “conjecture” because despite how all this is presented in the media there’s very little precision to any of it. In many ways, if you pay close enough attention you...

What causes the seemingly unfounded confidence in socialism we encounter more and more in the news media and among political activists? In the Extinction Rebellion movement, for example, activists are quite certain they have learned that there is an alternative to markets as the means to economic prosperity. It’s a means that does not involve meeting the legitimate needs of one’s fellow men in the marketplace. It is likely not a coincidence that most people living...

Blockchain promises to touch many parts of our lives, but how do we touch it? Blockchain: the very name fascinates and bamboozles in equal measure. Although businesses based around the technology are popping up all over Switzerland, many still wonder what exactly it does and how it can improve their lives. The potential possibilities are myriad, yet many still appear tantalisingly out of reach. After asking readers to pose their questions about blockchain, we’ve...

Switzerland’s GDP rose by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter of 2019, after increasing by 0.3% in the previous quarter. Exports of chemical and pharmaceutical products and energy were key contributing factors. In other areas, the impact of the subdued international environment was felt more strongly. The economic slowdown is being borne out on the whole. Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) QoQ, Q3 2019(see more posts on Switzerland Gross Domestic Product, ) Source:...

Die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) wird nach Aussagen des Gouverneurs der Oesterreichischen Nationalbank (OeNB) und EZB-Rats Robert Holzmann die geldpolitischen Ziele in den kommenden Monaten auf den Prüfstand stellen. “Alles steht zur Diskussion”, sagte Holzmann am Montagnachmittag vor Journalisten in Wien. Die neue EZB-Chefin Christine Lagarde hatte am 14. November die Mitglieder des EZB-Rates zu einem ersten informellen Treffen im Schlosshotel Kronberg nördlich von...

It doesn’t cost as much to train a painter as it does an IT specialist Firms in Switzerland may benefit annually by over CHF3,000 ($3,000) per apprentice when they train their own apprentices, a report has found. The fourth cost-benefit studyexternal link conducted by the Observatory for Vocational Education and Training of the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (OBS SFIVETexternal link), published on Tuesdayexternal link, revealed that...

The number of work permits issued for non-EU workers has been a source of contention in recent years. (Keystone) Switzerland will issue 8,500 work visas to non-EU citizens next year – the same number as in 2019. The Swiss government also confirmed an earlier decision that 3,500 British workers will be welcomed in the event of a no-deal Brexit situation. Next year Swiss companies will be able to draw on 4,500 B-permitsexternal link for so-called “third country”...

The servitude of society to a globalized economy is generating extremes of insecurity, powerlessness and inequality. Does our economy serve our society, or does our society serve our economy, and by extension, those few who extract most of the economic benefits? It’s a question worth asking, as beneath the political churn around the globe, the issues raised by this question are driving the frustration and anger that’s manifesting in social and political disorder. A...