Law changes, regulations in Switzerland from January 1st, even cited Kosovo citizens without visas

Pension reforms, stricter internet and telephone surveillance and more off for grieving parents: various changes in Swiss laws and regulations took effect on January 1st. Here's a selection

Electric machines: Electric cars are now subject to vehicle tax, just like other vehicles. Tax exemption for power vehicles that have been in force since 1997 has been cancelled. This means that electric vehicles will undergo the normal tax rate of 4% for cars used to transport people or goods. The tax will be imposed on the import price, not the retail price. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of electric vehicles imported annually increased from about 8,000 to over 45,000, writes Swissinfo.ch, broadcasts albinfo.ch.

Bay Cancer: Compulsory health insurance will now cover the costs of pre-releasing the breast and ovaries for several high-risk genes. So far, both procedures were reduced only to the presence of two specific genetic mutations.

Pension Review: The first part of the pension revision has come into effect. Partial premature withdrawal or partial retirement is already possible for all, allowing a gradual reduction of lucrative employment. Anyone working with a salary beyond the age of reference can now choose whether to pay pension contributions for all his income or not to the threshold of exclusion.

Movie: Online and television services in Switzerland must invest 4% of their Swiss films in Swiss footage and hold a quota of at least 30% of European films. This is determined by the so-called Lex Netflix, which Swiss voters approved in May 2022. As a result, local cinematists and Switzerland as the film's site will have some 18 million CHF (21.1m dollars) more available annually, mainly for series and audiovisive formats, broadcast albinfo.ch away.

Internet: The residents of Switzerland or Swiss citizenship can now get a domain name that ends with .swis. Individual companies without registration in the trade register, such as architects or artisans, can also get a domaini name.

Climate: Major companies in Switzerland must publish mandatory climate reports. This applies to public companies, banks and insurance companies with at least 500 employees and a total balance of 20 million CHF or more or a circulation of over 40 million CHF. Reports should be accessible to the public for at least ten years. Companies must count on the financial risks they take in climate - related activities. They should also reveal the impact of their activities in the climate. Finally, reduction targets for direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions should be outlined, along with plans for implementation.

Consumer credit: The maximum interest rate for consumer loans will rise from 11% to 12% for loans in cash. The government is also increasing the maximum interest rate for overdrafts, for example for credit cards, from 13% to 14%.

Corporation taxes: Large international companies active will be taxed at a rate of at least 15% in Switzerland from the 2024 tax year. Government is implementing minimum tax agreed on by O ECD and G20 countries for several corporations. The minimum tax affects groups generating an annual circulation worldwide of more than 750m euros (707m CHF) - about 1% of companies operating in Switzerland.

Kosovo citizens: Kosovars can enter the Schengen zone without visas for positions of up to 90 days. disfellowshipped from visa requirements is also valid for Switzerland. The preliminary condition is the possession of the biometric passport. A visa is still required to get a lucrative job in Switzerland.

Supervisor: Authorities have more opportunities to monitor internet and phone data. It will be easier to track anonymous calls to the Swiss bomb threat and find people at risk. Law enforcement authorities should also be able to access the data more quickly. So far, telecommunications service providers had a day to respond to a request by authorities. This period will be reduced to six hours.

Mail: Swiss mail is increasing prices for letters and parcels. Fonts A and B will each cost 0.10 CHF more (1,20 CHF and 1 CHF1, respectively), while priority parcels and the economy will cost 1,50 CHF more.

Rest for Parents: In the event of a parent's death after birth, the surviving parent now has the right to have a longer rest of leukemia or fathership. If a child's mother dies within 14 weeks of childbirth, the husband is entitled to a 14 - week break along with a two - week ban on fatherhood. In the event of the death of the father or wife of the mother within six months of childbirth, the mother is entitled to an additional two weeks of rest. /alinfo/