Tag Archives: Politics

On 4 March 2018, voters in Vaud will vote on a plan to provide basic universal dental care funded by a tax on salaries. The initiative entitled: Reimbursement of dental care, Pour le remboursement des soins dentaires in French, claims that 10% of the population avoid the dentist because of the cost. They also claim links between poor dental health and cancer, diabetes and premature births. Their plan envisages the creation of a network of polyclinics that would provide basic dental care, but...

On 4 March 2018, voters in Vaud will vote on a plan to provide basic universal dental care funded by a tax on salaries. The initiative entitled: Reimbursement of dental care, Pour le remboursement des soins dentaires in French, claims that 10% of the population avoid the dentist because of the cost. They also claim links between poor dental health and cancer, diabetes and premature births. Their plan envisages the creation of a network of polyclinics that would provide basic dental care, but...

Schneider-Ammann (right) is holding talks with various business leaders on the sidelines of this year’s WEF meeting in Davos. Among them was Nestlé Vice President Marco Settembri Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann has downplayed concerns that Swiss-based American firms might relocate to the United States in the wake of tax reform. Speaking in Davos ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump,...

All smiles: Swiss President Alain Berset, right, and US President Donald J. Trump, left, shake hands during a bilateral meeting Swiss President Alain Berset says his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos was productive and frank. Trump took credit for making Switzerland “even richer”. “You have a lot of our stock in the United States so I have helped to make Switzerland even...

A poll run by the media group Tamedia shows a clear majority in favour of rejecting the initiative, dubbed “No Billag”, which aims to end Switzerland’s broadcasting fee. This poll follows one done in December 2017, which showed a majority in favour of the initiative. © Jakkapan Jabjainai | Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge In December 57% were either fully or quite in favour of voting yes. This time the same percentage...

A poll run by the media group Tamedia shows a clear majority in favour of rejecting the initiative, dubbed “No Billag”, which aims to end Switzerland’s broadcasting fee. This poll follows one done in December 2017, which showed a majority in favour of the initiative. © Jakkapan Jabjainai | Dreamstime.com In December 57% were either fully or quite in favour of voting yes. This time the same percentage is 40%, with 59% saying they are fully or quite in favour of rejecting it. There are modest...

The NZZ am Sonntag reported that many of the newly disclosed assets are being held in accounts in Liechtenstein. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge According to the results of a survey published Sunday in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, CHF31.7 billion ($32.9 billion) in undeclared assets have been reported to tax authorities in Switzerland over the last eight years. The cantons of Zurich (CHF6.9 billion), Ticino...

Stans, Nidwalden. The canton offers the lowest corporation tax (10.1%) in Switzerland, and takes second place in the global ranking. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge Switzerland remains an attractive tax destination for both companies and top earners in 2017, according to a survey of major global business locations published on Wednesday. But it warned planned US tax reform will increase competition. The BAK...

The World Bank’s Doing Business project claims to provide objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. In the Wall Street Journal, Josh Zumbrun and Ian Talley report that the ranking must be revised. Over time, World Bank staff put a heavy thumb on the scales of its report by repeatedly changing the methodology that was used to calculate the country rankings, Mr. Romer said. The focus of...

- Click to enlarge Germany does not have a government, though the election was more than three months ago.  Spain, Portugal, and Ireland have minority governments.  Austria is the first government since the financial crisis to include the populist right.  The EU is trying to press the Visegrad group of central European countries to conform to the values of Western European members.  And yet it is Italian politics...