The reference interest rate for rents remains at 1.75 percent
Since December 2nd, 2023, the reference interest has been 1.75 percent, and on Monday the Federal Housing Office (BWO) announced the rate will remain at this level.
This means rents will not increase in the immediate future based solely on the interest rate.
However, other cost factors can drive rents up regardless of the reference rate. They include rises in inflation, as well as higher maintenance and operating costs of the property.
The next reference rate adjustment is planned for December 2nd, 2024.
Swiss party wants to tax companies for hiring foreign employees
As part of the negotiations with the European Union, Thierry Burkart, president of the Radical Liberal party, has come out in favour of an immigration tax for Swiss companies that hire foreigners.
Employers who recruit from abroad should contribute to the economic costs of immigration, he said.
"With this tax, it would be up to companies to weigh up advantages and disadvantages of hiring foreign workers," he said.
For this reason, a protective clause is needed "that allows Switzerland to effectively regulate immigration," from the EU, according to Burkart.
The European Commission highlights the crucial role of Switzerland’s Gotthard Tunnel
After a year-long closure, the Gotthard Base Tunnel re-opened to rail traffic this week.
The European Commission (EC) took this opportunity to bring up the importance of this north – south axis in the continent’s railway network, pointing out that the tunnel’s full reopening will strengthen the rail transport between the North Sea and the Mediterranean.
Although located entirely on the Swiss territory, the tunnel is an essential transport corridor for eight countries, namely Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, and, of course, Switzerland.
Therefore, the resumption of operations in the tunnel "will significantly increase the capacity of the railway infrastructure along this heavily travelled corridor,” the EC said,” adding that it will contribute to the efficiency, sustainability and integration of European transport networks.
In Zurich and Bern, new apartments are getting smaller
Newly constructed residential buildings in Zurich and Bern consist largely of smaller apartments, which means less living space for families.
The proportion of newly built flats with more than four rooms fell from 79 to 42 percent between 2002 and 2022. The number of two- room apartments, on the other hand, rose from 5 to 22 percent.
This trend toward small dwellings further exacerbates the housing shortage, real estate experts say.
For the Swiss, a gay neighbour is better than a right-winger
A new survey on tolerance and diversity, carried out by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, focused on how Swiss people would react if a new neighbour with certain characteristics moved in.
The results, released on Monday, indicate that a greater number of respondents (33.1 percent) would have negative feelings about a neighbour who votes for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) than one who is gay, Jewish, Muslim, socialist or Green.
But according to the study, this does not mean that SVP voters are monsters, but rather that those who advocate tolerance would rather not live near them .
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