Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Theft of wood is on the rise, toilet paper getting more expensive, and other Swiss news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Theft of wood is growing in Switzerland
The threat of energy crisis is pushing people to extreme acts: wood is in such high demand, that theft of this potential heating source is growing in Switzerland.
Wood producers report that boxes of firewood stocked in their facilities are being stolen.
“At the moment, one in four boxes is taken away without being paid for”, according to timber producer Samuel Bischofberger.
And Thomas Studer, director of a forestry operation in the canton of Solothurn said that “wood supplies are melting like snow in the sun.”
The price of toilet paper is rising
While there is no shortage of this essential household product in Switzerland, as was the case at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, it is becoming considerably more expensive.
In the past few months, its price has increased by 35 percent because the production of paper is “very energy-intensive”.
So you can now add toilet paper to the list of products that are becoming more expensive to buy because of higher energy prices.
READ MORE: Pasta up by 13 percent: How food and energy prices in Switzerland are rising
There is, however, some good news on the price front:
Switzerland has the cheapest iPhone 14 in Europe
It is a very rare occurrence that a consumer product in Switzerland is cheaper than elsewhere in Europe. But that is the case with the newest model of smartphone that Apple launched on September 7th.
The data collected by Hellosafe consumer site shows that, at 1,049 francs, Switzerland has the lowest price in Europe.
While this (relatively) low price may come as surprise to many people accustomed to the country’s notoriously high cost of living, the fact is that prices for electronics in Switzerland are hard to beat, at least compared to elsewhere in Europe.
This is partly due to lower value-added tax (VAT) rate in Switzerland, which currently stands at 7.7 percent.
READ MORE: 13 things that are actually ‘cheaper’ in Switzerland
Where will the Swiss take a holiday this autumn?
The possibility of a strike by SWISS pilots on October 17th has not, so far, affected the bookings for foreign holidays.
The reservation site ebookers has published the top 10 most-booked destinations for travel from Switzerland between mid-September and the end of October. At the top of the ranking of flight reservations is Bangkok.
Within Europe, ranking high are Palma, in the fourth place, Lisbon (5th), Istanbul (6th), Antalya (7th), Barcelona (8th) and Heraklion (9th).
The only urban and European destination in the ranking, London, is in second position. Farther afield, there is New York (3rd) and Dubai (10th).
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Comments
See Also
Theft of wood is growing in Switzerland
The threat of energy crisis is pushing people to extreme acts: wood is in such high demand, that theft of this potential heating source is growing in Switzerland.
Wood producers report that boxes of firewood stocked in their facilities are being stolen.
“At the moment, one in four boxes is taken away without being paid for”, according to timber producer Samuel Bischofberger.
And Thomas Studer, director of a forestry operation in the canton of Solothurn said that “wood supplies are melting like snow in the sun.”
The price of toilet paper is rising
While there is no shortage of this essential household product in Switzerland, as was the case at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, it is becoming considerably more expensive.
In the past few months, its price has increased by 35 percent because the production of paper is “very energy-intensive”.
So you can now add toilet paper to the list of products that are becoming more expensive to buy because of higher energy prices.
READ MORE: Pasta up by 13 percent: How food and energy prices in Switzerland are rising
There is, however, some good news on the price front:
Switzerland has the cheapest iPhone 14 in Europe
It is a very rare occurrence that a consumer product in Switzerland is cheaper than elsewhere in Europe. But that is the case with the newest model of smartphone that Apple launched on September 7th.
The data collected by Hellosafe consumer site shows that, at 1,049 francs, Switzerland has the lowest price in Europe.
While this (relatively) low price may come as surprise to many people accustomed to the country’s notoriously high cost of living, the fact is that prices for electronics in Switzerland are hard to beat, at least compared to elsewhere in Europe.
This is partly due to lower value-added tax (VAT) rate in Switzerland, which currently stands at 7.7 percent.
READ MORE: 13 things that are actually ‘cheaper’ in Switzerland
Where will the Swiss take a holiday this autumn?
The possibility of a strike by SWISS pilots on October 17th has not, so far, affected the bookings for foreign holidays.
The reservation site ebookers has published the top 10 most-booked destinations for travel from Switzerland between mid-September and the end of October. At the top of the ranking of flight reservations is Bangkok.
Within Europe, ranking high are Palma, in the fourth place, Lisbon (5th), Istanbul (6th), Antalya (7th), Barcelona (8th) and Heraklion (9th).
The only urban and European destination in the ranking, London, is in second position. Farther afield, there is New York (3rd) and Dubai (10th).
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.