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The communes, cantons and the confederation raise taxes in Switzerland. The cantons and communes are autonomous in tax matters. As a result the amount of tax can vary widely depending on where a person lives. But the federal tax is uniform for the whole country. The lion’s share of direct taxes goes to the cantons…
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Switzerland’s central bank is independent of the government, which means it is free to set interest rates. Its policy goal is price stability, which it says is an important precondition for economic growth and prosperity. It bases its monetary policy on a medium-term inflation forecast. Its chosen reference interest is the three-month Libor rate (London…
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The Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit is a militia corps with a pool of at least 700 experts ready for deployment abroad in times of conflict or disaster. It is one of the Swiss government’s key humanitarian aid instruments. Members are increasingly seconded to aid programmes run by international organisations, such as the World Food Programme…
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The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) is the government’s competence centre for all core issues relating to economic policy. Its aim is to create the basic regulatory and economic policy conditions to enable business to flourish. It provides support to ensure competitive conditions in Switzerland as a location for business, and helps to…
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Rösti is a dish of pan-fried grated potato that is particularly popular in the German-speaking part of the country. Röstigraben – the Rösti trench – is frequently used in political discussion to describe the differences of mentality between the German- and French-language regions, particularly when there are federal votes. This demarcation line has become somewhat…
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Presence Switzerland is the organisation that coordinates the Swiss presence abroad. The mission of Presence Switzerland is to convey knowledge about Switzerland, to create understanding and empathy for the country and to highlight its diversity and attractiveness. Presence Switzerland acts within a broad network to carry out and coordinate this task. Its Swiss partners include…
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Osec is the official promoter of Swiss foreign trade. Mandated by the government, it has a main task of helping companies from Switzerland and Liechtenstein develop their international business relations. Founded in 1927, Osec is particularly oriented towards small- and medium-sized companies. Its services include consulting, information, training and marketing in foreign countries.
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The state-run insurance scheme is aimed at providing a minimum cover for all people over the age of 65 (men) and 64 (women), surviving dependents and those who need constant care.Set up in 1948 it is the backbone of Switzerland’s social security system. All people living and working in Switzerland have to contribute to the…
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This major project (NRLA), which includes two new rail tunnels on the Gotthard (57 kms) and Lötschberg (34.6 kms) routes, is intended to greatly improve rail transit infrastructure from north to south. The goal is to shift heavy goods traffic from road to rail. There has been controversy because the total budget has been increased…
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The National Cooperative for the Disposal of Nuclear Waste – Nagra –was in 1972 given the task of finding a permanent solution to the storage of radioactive waste. At present it manages a temporary storage site at Würrenlingen in canton Aargau. But for the long term, Nagra’s mission is to find two sites in deep…
