Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
New efforts for financial fairness for married couples, how foreigners boost Swiss economy, and other news in our roundup on Wednesday.
Party wants to end 'discrimination' of married people
The Center party is launching two popular initiatives seeking to put an end to the discrimination of married couples in terms of taxes and pensions.
The Federal Council and Parliament have been struggling for years to find a solution to this injustice, the party said.
“Married couples today are at a disadvantage simply because they have chosen this model of life. Financial and tax calculations should never be taken into account in the choice of the model of life of the individuals”, said party president Gerhard Pfister at a press conference on Tursday.
https://twitter.com/Mitte_Centre
Newcomers to Geneva can now register online
It is now possible to complete the procedures for settling in the canton on the Internet.
A new online form is available for those moving to Geneva. This service, available in both French and English, allows Swiss nationals to announce their arrival in the canton, and foreigners to apply for a residence permit.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How to register your address in Switzerland
Foreigners are boosting employment in three cantons
Geneva, Vaud and Valais are set to overtake all other Swiss regions in terms of the number of jobs.
One of the reasons, according to Rafael Lalive, a labour market economist at the University of Lausanne, is the proximity of the three cantons to France and its “well trained workforce”.
Among them are approximately 144,000 cross-border workers employed in the Lake Geneva region – about as many as in northwestern Switzerland, Zurich, as well as eastern and central parts of the country combined, Lalive said.
READ MORE: How immigration boosts the entire Swiss economy
Candidate for Federal Council denies being British
With the imminent retirement of Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, several candidates have stepped forward to fill in the soon-vacant position.
One, Michèle Blöchliger, from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), was asked during a press conference about her dual nationality: in her Wikipedia profile, which she herself created, she listed her citizenship as “CH / GB”.
But when confronted about it, Blöchliger vehemently denied being a British national, though she admitted her mum comes from the UK and English is her second language.
Being a dual citizen is not illegal for elected officials, and a number of MPs do have two nationalities.
In Blöchliger’s case, however, this could be held against her. As one commentator put it, “For SVP, not being 100 percent Swiss is detrimental to its reputation”.
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]
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Party wants to end 'discrimination' of married people
The Center party is launching two popular initiatives seeking to put an end to the discrimination of married couples in terms of taxes and pensions.
The Federal Council and Parliament have been struggling for years to find a solution to this injustice, the party said.
“Married couples today are at a disadvantage simply because they have chosen this model of life. Financial and tax calculations should never be taken into account in the choice of the model of life of the individuals”, said party president Gerhard Pfister at a press conference on Tursday.
https://twitter.com/Mitte_Centre
Newcomers to Geneva can now register online
It is now possible to complete the procedures for settling in the canton on the Internet.
A new online form is available for those moving to Geneva. This service, available in both French and English, allows Swiss nationals to announce their arrival in the canton, and foreigners to apply for a residence permit.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How to register your address in Switzerland
Foreigners are boosting employment in three cantons
Geneva, Vaud and Valais are set to overtake all other Swiss regions in terms of the number of jobs.
One of the reasons, according to Rafael Lalive, a labour market economist at the University of Lausanne, is the proximity of the three cantons to France and its “well trained workforce”.
Among them are approximately 144,000 cross-border workers employed in the Lake Geneva region – about as many as in northwestern Switzerland, Zurich, as well as eastern and central parts of the country combined, Lalive said.
READ MORE: How immigration boosts the entire Swiss economy
Candidate for Federal Council denies being British
With the imminent retirement of Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, several candidates have stepped forward to fill in the soon-vacant position.
One, Michèle Blöchliger, from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), was asked during a press conference about her dual nationality: in her Wikipedia profile, which she herself created, she listed her citizenship as “CH / GB”.
But when confronted about it, Blöchliger vehemently denied being a British national, though she admitted her mum comes from the UK and English is her second language.
Being a dual citizen is not illegal for elected officials, and a number of MPs do have two nationalities.
In Blöchliger’s case, however, this could be held against her. As one commentator put it, “For SVP, not being 100 percent Swiss is detrimental to its reputation”.
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]
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