Geneva helps national debt - govt to tax pension withdrawals

In an interview with the Tribune de Genève, the Swiss president, Karin Keller Suter, says she gives the state of the federal finances a score of 5 out of 10 – and acknowledges Geneva will be contributing significantly for the next few years.

She says the state will be running a deficit if CHF 3bn .

But Geneva, thanks the commodity trading sector, will be contributing several hundred million a year.

But she says the government is looking to increase tax on 2nd and 3rd pillar pension contributions for those who wish to take a lump sum – commonly done by expats. 

She says it’s preferable if people take an annuity.

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play