Tag Archives: Personal finance

Currently, anyone ordering something from outside Switzerland, must pay Swiss Post an administrative charge if their package attracts import tax (duty and/or VAT). In addition, they must pay Swiss Post an additional CHF 13 if the parcel needs to be opened, usually because the package has been poorly labelled. © Denis Linine | Dreamstime.com Swiss Post has a contract with Swiss customs to process packages coming into the country. Yesterday, Switzerland’s upper house (Council of States) agreed...

Switzerland’s public price watchdog chief, Stefan Meierhans, also know as “Mr Price”, has taken aim at high Swiss drug prices. A report published last week shows prices of generic drugs are nearly 2.4 times more expensive in Switzerland compared to the average price across 15 european countries. Generic drugs in the Netherlands cost 8% of what they cost in Switzerland. Anyone arriving in Switzerland from the UK will be...

Switzerland’s public price watchdog chief, Stefan Meierhans, also know as “Mr Price”, has taken aim at high Swiss drug prices. © Mauricio Jordan De Souza Coelho | Dreamstime.com A report published last week shows prices of generic drugs are nearly 2.4 times more expensive in Switzerland compared to the average price across 15 european countries. Generic drugs in the Netherlands cost 8% of what they cost in Switzerland. Source: Annual report of Swiss price watchdog Anyone arriving in...

20 Minutes. Some who move to Switzerland might not be aware that they are almost certainly required to pay one of the world’s highest broadcasting licence fees. An annual Swiss licence costs CHF 451.10 per household. The onus is on you to determine if you are liable, sign up with Billag, a subsidiary of Swisscom, and pay. Just because you haven’t registered doesn’t mean you are OK. Fines for non-compliance run as high as CHF 5,000. © Piotr Wawrzyniuk | Dreamstime.com Billag AG collects around...

Switzerland’s federal authorities have issued a trojan warning. A trojan is a malicious computer program designed to hack computers. The trojan is hidden in an email pretending to come from Swisscom, advising of an invoice. The fake invoice contains malware known as Dridex, a piece of software designed to steal banking information. It starts by installing a keyboard listener. The government agency Melani, recommends being careful not to open any documents in the emails, and to make sure that...

Le Matin. The unemployment rate across Switzerland climbed by 0.2% to 3.7% in January, and regional differences were clear. Across French and Italian-speaking cantons the rate averaged 5%, while across the German-speaking cantons it was 3.1%. © Beat Bieler | Dreamstime.com The unemployment rate climbed across Switzerland’s French-speaking cantons with Neuchâtel remaining the worst affected. There the rate climbed 0.3% to 6.6%. Geneva was second, rising 0.2% to 5.7%, followed by Jura, up 0.2%...

Le Matin. The unemployment rate across Switzerland climbed by 0.2% to 3.7% in January, and regional differences were clear. Across French and Italian-speaking cantons the rate averaged 5%, while across the German-speaking cantons it was 3.1%. © Beat Bieler | Dreamstime.com The unemployment rate climbed across Switzerland’s French-speaking cantons with Neuchâtel remaining the worst affected. There the rate climbed 0.3% to 6.6%. Geneva was second, rising 0.2% to 5.7%, followed by Jura, up 0.2%...

Volkswagen shocked the world when it was revealed it was cheating on emissions tests on a grand scale. Now some television makers may be gaming the energy efficiency ratings of some of their televisions, according to the Economist. In their efforts to compete and sell more, some brands decide to cut corners. Sometime transgressions are major, like at Volkswagen. However, much of the time they are minor, perfectly legal...

Volkswagen shocked the world when it was revealed it was cheating on emissions tests on a grand scale. Now some television makers may be gaming the energy efficiency ratings of some of their televisions, according to the Economist. In their efforts to compete and sell more, some brands decide to cut corners. Sometime transgressions are major, like at Volkswagen. However, much of the time they are minor, perfectly legal things, that just make you feel like you have been short changed. A recent...

A report published by the Swiss Federal Office of statistics, shows that only 4.3% of full-time1 workers earn CHF 3,000 or less per month2. The monthly figure is net of social security deductions, but includes one twelfth of the 13th bonus month typically paid in Switzerland. © Syda Productions | Dreamstime.com CHF 3,000 per month is CHF 36,000 a year, equivalent to US$ 36,250 or GBP 28,250, slightly above the annual UK median of GBP 28,0283. At the other end of the spectrum, only 5.6% of...