It was found on the street in Altendorf by a local resident who alerted the owners Police believe the pensioner used a low powered Flobert rifle normally used for indoor target shooting or pest control it was announced that Alpen Partners had hired a portfolio management and trading trio a team led by the former head of Reyl Zurich’s private bank has joined the firm in Bäch The independent asset manager, Alpen Partners has recruited a new private clients services team Dürmüller have joined the firm as partners alongside the wealth management and executive assistant Dürmüller was most recently the head of high-net-worth individuals at the wealth manager He previously ran his own wealth management firm called Solitaire Aquila Earlier he was the head of private banking at AIG Private Bank in Zurich and deputy head of private banking at Julius Baer in Zurich.  Notably Dürmüller formerly headed the private bank Reyl in Zurich Waldner was previously a vice director at Abalone Zeus Solitaire she was the COO of Solitaire Aquila and Solitaire Wealth Management she was a relationship manager at UBS and Bank Julius Baer in Zurich Waldner began her career at UBS over 25 years ago Helbling is part of Alpen Partner’s private clients services team and works closely with the firm's partners and portfolio management team to provide a high-quality service to its clients Helbling was a wealth management and executive assistant at an independent asset manager in Zurich she worked as a practice administrator and executive assistant at BearingPoint finews.com publishes on its own Web-TV-Channel interviews with well-known figures of Swiss finance. + More on this topic + More on this topic + More on this topic Ufenau Capital Partners has hired Björn Lauschke as head of debt advisory. He will help optimise financing costs by securing favourable debt structures reducing interest expenses and enhancing returns through efficient capital allocation He has also worked at investment bank DC Advisory and Credit Suisse This issue is preventing our website from loading properly. Please review the following troubleshooting tips or contact us at [email protected] By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time. Kaspar Michel, Governor of the Council and Director of Finance for Canton Schwyz, explains why an increasing number of international business people, companies and tourists are turning their attention to Schwyz, one of Switzerland’s most dynamic regions. The canton (administrative region) of Schwyz is one of the economic powerhouses of Switzerland, boasting an excellent economic environment. It is has an AAA Standard & Poor’s rating and advantageous tax rates. On top of this, it also attracts people bcause of its high quality of life. Could you provide some context for Schwyz’s leading and dynamic position in relation to other cantons and Europe more generally? Our best asset is our location. Schwyz is part of the greater Zürich area and it only takes twenty minutes to get here from the city of Zürich. We are blessed with beautiful scenery, with mountains and exciting landscapes, and on top of that, we have the advantage of a very low tax rate, both for corporations and for private individuals. We have an available workforce of nearly one million people. Very early on, we adopted a strategy of low taxation which, combined with our excellent location and significant land availability, enabled the canton’s tremendous growth and evolution. Our political focus has always been on lowering our tax rate and this has given us an advantageous and stable position within both Switzerland and Europe more generally. A large proportion of the money Schwyz generates comes from individuals. We have never had inheritance taxes, for instance, which has brought us to the attention of international citizens. Looking at the flow of people coming here, we’ve had an influx of people from Scandinavia, Britain and Russia, as well as from Germany. Where do you see the most potential for growth and innovation in the near future? Our economic growth also relies on the level of education that the canton offers and our public school offers excellent standards. We are striving to provide good schools, including good international schools, because if we want to keep attracting managers from London and Oslo, we need to have high-quality international schools. Alongside Schwyz’s industrial strengths, it has an accommodating framework for business. Yet competition remains fierce between the cantons to attract both domestic and international companies. What are the comparative advantages that Schwyz offers to companies and individual investors looking to establish themselves here? Our core competitive advantages are our accessibility, our location, and proximity to Zürich and Zug, and the closeness between business executives, who often know each other on a personal basis. Let us also not forget the beauty of the canton: people who come here are also seeking a high quality of life. We are in the middle of the Alps and twenty-minutes away from Zurich, so we have the best of both worlds. As Schwyz continues to grow and attract more companies, you may have to make some choices regarding the canton’s financing goals and strategies. What are your current priorities in terms of budget and what are your strategies for the future? Our priority is to remain stable. The canton of Schwyz has zero debts, which is extraordinary. We have equity of $200 million and will be decreasing our taxes further, after discussion with parliament, in order to remain competitive. Having perfect financial conditions is essential. The Kantonalbank of Schwyz is also in perfect shape, which gives the canton a stable economic position. So, our challenges aren’t about cutting taxes and providing better financial conditions, but rather relate to renovating and building additional offices and facilities for companies to come here. To enable this, we have a lot of regulations regarding logistics and infrastructure. Some cantons are putting emphasis on one or the other trending sector, such as Zug’s crypto-valley and Luzern’s health-tech initiatives. What are the most dynamic industries in Schwyz that are most likely to attract investment? Health-tech is our most dynamic industry and a key focus for our economic promotion agency. We have a huge area of land to build this cluster between Küssnacht and Schwyz, and this is going well so far. Blockchain technology and the “crypto-valley” are also very interesting — Zug talks a lot about it, but we also have it. With 13 companies involved in blockchain technology already, we are keeping up but we talk less about it. How do you promote these innovative and attractive sectors on an international level? We do this with modest resources that include our bureau for economic promotion, which makes international visits to showcase the canton. We also have a close relationship with the “Big 5” consulting firms, who are proposing Schwyz as a solution to some of their clients. In a small branding initiative, we are calling Schwyz the “Region Y,” which nowhere else has done before. One thing is to bring companies to the canton; another is to keep them here. So, we put a lot of emphasis on maintaining good relationships with entities based here by talking to them and visiting them, for example. Schwyz is not Zürich: here we know each other, and share accessibility and a personal relationship. The door is always open. Let’s talk a bit about tourism. Schwyz may not be the first place tourists think of when exploring Switzerland. Yet it has a strong offering in terms of nature, culture and gastronomy. How are you trying to appeal to international tourists and showcase Schwyz’s outdoor opportunities, as well as its cultural heritage? We have one of the oldest tourism industries in Switzerland. For the past 200 years, tourists have been going over our Rigi mountain, which is shaped like a balcony, as well as visiting Brunnen by the lake of Luzern, where Ludwig II, Queen Victoria, and Goethe spent their vacations. The canton has two parts: one which is connected to Luzern, the lake and the Alps; and the other which is connected to the lake of Zürich and the region of Zürich. We get a lot of tourists who go to Zurich and want to spend a day in the Alps. Culture is an important part of their experience. They visit the mountains, then they go to the Schwyzer museums, where they can find 1291’s founding document of Switzerland. A recent innovative addition that also contributes to tourism is the Stoosbahn mountain lift. Technologically incredible, the lift launched just a year ago and was made by the famous Garaventa company, which was founded by people from Schwyz. “Switzerland is not on the radar of some people internationally regarding innovation, and that is a challenge for the marketing of the country,” admitted Raymond Cron from Swiss Innovation. What are you doing in order to actively promote and brand the canton of Schwyz to bolster the Swiss “innovation nation” image? The government works together with the companies who are based here. I mentioned our two clusters — it’s our challenge to bring more work spaces into the country. We want to remain stable and keep taxes low — prerequisites for promoting innovation. There is some debate around Switzerland’s new Tax Package 17 (SV-17), and there are some upcoming reforms that will set up further advantages. In Switzerland, there are seven cantons that contribute financially to the others. With Zug, we are one of the cantons that gives money to the others. So, indirectly, we promote the economic wellbeing of the confederation, which encourages innovation. As a leading figure in the canton for eight years now — at the helm of the finance department and overseeing Schwyz’s development — what do you personally see as your biggest achievements so far, and what would you most like to accomplish during your political career? When I was elected in 2010, the situation was not very good and the biggest challenge I had was to stabilize the finances. The canton has grown a lot since then in terms of population — now we have 156,000 inhabitants, compared to 100,000 when I was still in school. Building capital and eliminating debts was the main challenge for me, which included difficult steps such as changing taxes. Since June, I have been the president of the government, which is an added responsibility. I have to lead discussions and my goal is to take on this new challenge to the fullest extent. Let’s wait and see what comes afterwards. What would be your final message to our readers? Whoever comes to stay in Schwyz as an individual or as a company will find a very stable and safe canton with good conditions, excellent schools and a healthy society. We have an open society with a liberal government that is open to innovation and investment. Schwyz has a strong workforce and a population that loves to work. We love our canton and that gets transmitted to those that take the opportunity to visit us or establish themselves here. 30-year-old Jonas Lauwiner has proclaimed himself the "King of Switzerland". He now owns 149 properties across the country - and has now also struck it rich in the canton of Schwyz. Jonas Lauwiner, who was born in Valais and now lives in the canton of Bern, has acquired a fabulous real estate empire across Switzerland with a simple trick. He can now call 149 properties his own. In Burgdorf BE, the trained automation engineer resides in his own castle. As befits a true emperor, Lauwiner has now introduced his own currency called "Empire Vellar", he likes to wear a uniform and the hobby ruler has even designed his own flag. Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an Ein Beitrag geteilt von Jonas Lauwiner (@jonas_lauwiner) In principle, any person can acquire such ownerless plots of land (subject to the Federal Act on Rural Land Law and the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Land by Persons from Abroad). A simple registration with the land registry is sufficient to add the land to your own portfolio. The only costs are the official processing fees of a few hundred francs. Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an Ein Beitrag geteilt von Zappalot (@zappalot.official) people in Muotathal are rubbing their eyes in amazement at the unexpected land transfer Nobody there had the idea of claiming the ownerless land for themselves Lauwiner's land grab was just an unnoticed section of the Mettelbach streambed in Tristel But the municipality was unable to do anything about the appropriation after the fact explains head of the building authority Patrick Suter The situation is even more different for residents in Schwyz and Unteriberg Lauwiner is taking over two local roads there while in Unteriberg it is Quellenweg in Adelmatt in Studen Residents along both paths have reservations about the takeover by a person from outside the canton they actually wanted to take over the spring path themselves with a land cooperative - but Lauwiner beat them to it "It's an unpleasant situation," explains Roman Kofmehl He was actually supposed to become president of the land cooperative Now there is great uncertainty and concern in the district about how to deal with the new road owner in the future Lauwiner could even legally prohibit residents from entering the area "But that is not my intention," Lauwiner tells the "Boten" the new road owner is now also responsible for the maintenance and safety of the paths And this is precisely what worries those affected Lauwiner could - depending on the provisions in the so-called easement agreements - collect money from the adjacent property owners Roman Kofmehl finds this situation intolerable Especially as he himself has never heard of the "king" He now wants to hold a meeting with the residents soon to discuss the next steps Search terms must include 3 or more characters Working on the constitutional basis established through the popular referendum held on 18 June 2023 the Federal Council enacted the global minimum tax as a national top-up tax that entered into force on 1 January 2024 several cantons have already made changes to their tax rates or launched projects aimed at improving their attractiveness as a location already responded prior to the (foreseeable) introduction of the minimum tax by increasing their local tax burden the tax policies initially in place in the various cantons are prompting them to embrace different approaches especially with regard to the 15 percent global minimum tax rate which had applied a corporate tax rate of less than 13.8 percent in 2023 introduced a progressive corporate tax rate from 2024 onward Profits of between CHF 5 million and CHF 15 million and profits in excess of CHF 15 million are taxed at a higher rate profits that are higher than around CHF 15 million will be subject to an effective tax rate (incl federal taxes) of 15 percent from 2024 onward which will be reduced as planned from 2025 onward will continue to apply for profits of less than CHF 5 million The Canton of Geneva raised its effective corporate tax rate (including federal taxes) from 14 percent to 14.7 percent and eliminated the municipal business tax in exchange the tax expenses incurred now also qualify as eligible taxes Since the effective corporate tax rate in Geneva is still lower than the minimum rate of 15 percent this change is likely to reduce the top-up tax A somewhat different trend is being observed in the Canton of Zurich Given that the effective corporate tax rate in Zurich is already higher than the minimum rate of 15 percent it has no incentive to raise the tax burden the government council of the Canton of Zurich intends to cut its cantonal corporate tax rate from 7 percent to 6 percent This is not directly connected to the introduction of the minimum tax rate but had already been announced at an earlier date in connection with the Federal Act on Tax Reform and AHV Financing (TRAF) With the global minimum tax limiting their leeway regarding corporate tax rates countries are working on finding a way to offset these through measures such as tax credits and subsidies Under the international regulations regarding the global minimum tax subsidies or qualifying/recognized tax credits are treated more favorably than tax breaks International developments like the European Green Deal the Inflation Reduction Act in the US and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation that was introduced in the EU in 2023 show that the importance of industrial policies and subsidies will grow in the context of location competition This development is also becoming apparent in Switzerland According to the Swiss Federal Tax Administration slightly more than half of the cantons are evaluating – or have already evaluated – subsidy-like instruments for companies (as of August 2023) Only a few cantons have announced specific measures the Canton of Grisons submitted a draft bill for consultation that seeks to reward companies whose activities (i) increase added value created within the canton development and innovation or (iii) improve environmental sustainability The Canton of Zug announced its intention to support companies directly through a system of subsidies with extensive delegation powers afforded to the government council “Implementing specific projects to introduce tax credits or comparable subsidies makes sense especially in cantons with an effective tax rate of less than 15 percent the situation is less urgent,” says Stefan Kuhn that reclassifying tax incentives as government subsidies results in higher The ordinary corporate tax rates for businesses in Switzerland remained stable compared to the previous year at an average of 14.6% Changes in corporate tax rates were only seen in eight cantons Those are some of the findings presented in KPMG’s Swiss Tax Report 2024 which compares corporate and income tax rates from more than 50 countries and all 26 Swiss cantons The biggest cuts were made by the cantons of Aargau (-1.19 percentage points) and Bern (-0.5 percentage points) while Schaffhausen and Geneva made the largest increases to their corporate tax rates (+1.25 and +0.7 percentage points) Nidwalden and Lucerne remain the most attractive in terms of their corporate tax rates although their rates have converged a little compared to the previous year The Canton of Zug still has the lowest tax rates and has raised its corporate tax rates somewhat (from 11.80 to 11.85 percent) while Lucerne made another slight reduction to its rates (from 12.15 to 12.09 percent) With a corporate tax rate of 20.54 percent the Canton of Bern still ranks last in a cantonal comparison helped it narrow the gap to the other cantons slightly Compared with other countries around the world Switzerland’s taxes for companies are low – especially in the cantons of Central Switzerland Hungary (9.0 percent) and Bulgaria (10.0 percent) still offer even lower ordinary corporate tax rates Ireland (12.5 percent) remains the country’s most important competitor in Europe Bermuda (0.0 percent) and Bahrain (0.0 percent) stand out as low-tax domiciles Hong Kong (16.5 percent) and Singapore (17.0 percent) also have attractive corporate tax rates Large economies like the US (27.0 percent) India (30.0 percent) and Brazil (34.0 percent) apply considerably higher tax rates than Switzerland the highest incomes in Switzerland are taxed at a slightly lower rate than in the previous year (33.45 percent) Some two-thirds of cantons have reduced their tax rates for top incomes Gallen (-3.44 percentage points) and Basel-Stadt (-2.51 percentage points) The Canton of Schwyz advanced to first place in the cantonal comparison thanks to its substantial reduction of 2.39 percentage points it is now slightly ahead of the cantons of Zug (22.67 percent) and Nidwalden (24.30 percent) A few cantons have raised their tax rates for top incomes such as Appenzell Innerrhoden (+1.56 percentage points) and Obwalden (+1.43 percentage points) The cantons of Western Switzerland are still ranked lowest especially Geneva (43.33 percent) and Vaud (41.5 percent) followed by Bern (41.07 percent) and Basel-Landschaft (40.73 percent) © 2025 KPMG AG, a Swiss corporation, is a group company of KPMG Holding LLP, which is a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more detail about the structure of the KPMG global organization please visit https://kpmg.com/governance «Sparkasse Schwyz» is expanding into the tax-friendly Altendorf SZ on the Obersee it aims to tap into the potential of this lucrative market area Sparkasse Schwyz will open a new branch in Altendorf on the Schwyz shore of the Obersee at the end of the year, according to a statement from the regional bank on Friday The new branch will be managed by Roger Koepfli (pictured below) The 51-year-old has extensive experience in managing bank branches and is considered a specialist in financing he is locally rooted and described by the bank as a «banker with passion.» Roger Koepfli , Branch Manager of Sparkasse Schwyz in Altendorf SZ (Image: zvg) Koepfli has most recently worked for around three years at Valiant Bank as a private and business client advisor. He began his career at the Schwyz Cantonal Bank with a banking apprenticeship. Following this, he held positions at Zuercher Kantonalbank, Credit Suisse, Schwyz Cantonal Bank, Glarus Cantonal Bank, and Bank Linth, as per his LinkedIn profile Sparkasse Schwyz aims to enhance the external perception of its brand The region around Altendorf has experienced strong growth at all levels in recent years and the bank wants to leverage this potential as other banks have withdrawn from the region and closed their branches.» The new branch will feature a reception area and a 24-hour zone approximately three employees are expected to be on site Sparkasse Schwyz operates six branches located in Brunnen Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2021 at 5:48 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.In the Swiss cantons of Schwyz and Zug one in eight residents are millionaires The Swiss newspaper published the findings Sunday based on an analysis of government statistics including tax and wealth data Teresa Guillet from Studen SZ has been missing for almost three weeks Despite an intensive search and numerous tips there is still no trace of the 27-year-old The search for Teresa Guillet proved to be challenging due to difficult weather conditions A large-scale search operation was launched the day after her disappearance involving not only the police but also the volunteer fire department and rescue dog teams as only the mountains are accessible from the golf course an aerial search had to be called off due to the weather Hundreds of profiles are currently sharing Teresa Guillet's missing person report on social media The police are relying on the help of the public and have launched an appeal on social media which has been shared by well-known skier Wendy Holdener Anyone who can provide information on the whereabouts of Teresa Guillet is asked to call the Schwyz cantonal police on 041 819 29 29 The active search in Studen has now been discontinued The editor wrote this article with the help of KI Swiss engineering and technology have reached new heights with the opening of the world’s steepest funicular rail line The €44.6m Schwyz-Stoos funicular (Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos in German) has been hailed as a triumph of modern design engineering A level-adjusting function will allow the space-age-looking carriages to remain horizontal while speeding up the mountain at up to 10 metres a second It is due to be opened on Friday by the president of the Swiss federal council, Doris Leuthard, in the Alpine resort of Stoos, 1,300 metres (4,300ft) above sea level in central Switzerland will allow passengers to remain upright at all times even as they ascend – or descend – the 1,720-metre track climbing or descending 743 metres along gradients as steep as 110% (47.7º) It will run from the valley station near Schwyz into the mountain village of Stoos said the funicular replaced an older one that had operated since 1933 everyone is very proud of this train,” he said The funicular. Photograph: Urs Flueeler/EPAThe Gondola Project a website dedicated to cable-propelled transport systems said the scheme had faced a number of challenges even before work had begun Then when construction started in July 2013 “Designers analysed 15 different options before selecting the existing route alignment and technology,” it wrote A traditional aerial gondola funicular was ruled out because it would have had to pass through an active shooting range “The Stoos funicular is designed with an inclination adjustment system This means that the four 34-passenger rotating cabins on each train remain horizontally level throughout the journey.” The Gelmerbahn funicular at Bern was previously the world’s steepest The East Cliff Lift funicular railway in Hastings a mountain hiker fell around 200 meters down the Grossen Mythen in the canton of Schwyz and died was only able to recover the 56-year-old man dead in rough terrain The report of the fall was received by the cantonal police at 11 am the Care Team of the Canton of Schwyz was also deployed to assist the relatives German AfD leader Alice Weidel and her family live in Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz The organizers want to make a statement with a demonstration on Saturday "We don't want the same thing to happen to Switzerland as happened in the last century with Nazi gold," says Laura Fuchs in an interview with blue News Fuchs is co-organizer of a demonstration that is bringing the German election campaign to Switzerland one day before the ballot A "demonstration against the right" is to take place there on Saturday, February 22, based on the regular protests against racism and Nazis in Germany The aim is to join the German demonstrators and show solidarity with them The location for the protest was not chosen at random. The aim of the demonstration is to make Switzerland aware "that an AfD member lives here", says Fuchs. Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right AfD, lives in the municipality of Einsiedeln. According to current polls, the party will be the second strongest force in the German parliament in the federal elections on February 23 It is difficult to estimate how many people will actually come to Einsiedeln for the "demonstration against the right" "We organized everything at short notice and assume that around 50 people will turn up." The police have registered the event for 20 to 50 people Head of Kapo communications Roman Gisler confirmed to "20 Minuten" that the Schwyz cantonal police were aware and that the demonstration had been approved The police will be on site to assess the situation Wie viele Nächte verbringt Alice Weidel am Bodensee, fragt @DavidGebhard die AfD-Chefin. Dann bricht sie das Interview ab. pic.twitter.com/KTiUuZcd2i The organizers are not afraid of counter-demonstrations: "We trust the police who know that counter-demonstrations can also take place," says Laura Fuchs "We want a peaceful demonstration and will not allow ourselves to be provoked." Weidel's place of residence has recently been the subject of much discussion She lives in Einsiedeln with her partner and two sons Weidel is perfectly fine with a German candidate for chancellor living in Switzerland the center of her life is her official main residence in the German town of Überlingen on Lake Constance She also pays taxes there and not in the canton of Schwyz This is also legal due to the double taxation agreement between Switzerland and Germany The world’s steepest classic funicular whisks passengers up and down a mountainside along a jaw-dropping 110 percent incline it zooms skyward along the dizzyingly steep gradient gliding through a blend of open air and tunnels before emerging at a quaint car-free village The Stoosbahn is a wondrous feat of engineering Riders can climb inside one of its four barrels where they’re treated to panoramic views of the surroundings The futuristic cylinders rotate throughout the ride slowly turning in a way that resembles the movement of beer barrels lined up one after another This allows passenger cars to remain horizontal throughout their four-minute journey even as the funicular tilts on its tracks along the slope after 14 years of planning and building to replace its 84-year-old predecessor It begins in Schwyz and ends in Stoos a small alpine village perched atop a peak that boasts stunning views of region’s mountains and lakes construction workers faced multiple setbacks before finally bringing the innovative railway to life officials still pushed for the funicular; an aerial gondola would be a poor substitute because the route passes through an active shooting range they realized the prospect of possibly peppering passengers with stray bullets was a terrible idea At the largest railway museum in the United States you can see everything from an early steam engine to a functioning Thomas the Tank Engine A section of a historic wooden trestle viaduct is preserved next to the railway line it once carried This old train trestle and collapsed tunnel once allowed the railroad to negotiate the steep slopes of the Colorado Rockies This Gothic castle-like portal is a testament to the amazing craftsmanship of the navvies who built the railway tunnel This beautiful train graveyard is one of the largest collections of steam locomotives in the Mediterranean and Europe The oldest funicular in Lithuania has been climbing this steep hill since 1931 A replica of the steam engine that hauled Queen Victoria's Royal Train is on display at Windsor This charming railway is one of the oldest and steepest funiculars in England SPIE is the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications Our 55,000 employees are committed to achieving the energy transition and responsible digital transformation alongside our customers SPIE aims to contribute to a more sustainable Do you want to use your skills to contribute to projects that help society a key player in the energy transition and digital transformation We are committed to the fight against climate change and mobilised for a responsible digital transformation intall and maintain energy-efficient and environmentaly-friendly facilities Find in this section all the useful information you can access SPIE's profile and key figures Would you like to interview an SPIE spokesperson the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications has won the public invitation to tender to operate the network in the canton of Schwyz monitoring and operation of the cantonal network a subsidiary dedicated to complete ICT services The network in the canton of Schwyz is the central technical element that enables the cantonal administration districts and municipalities to be provided with a range of services of optimal quality and the highest level of availability high-performance and secure network that is also capable of responding to future requirements is essential The Office of Information Technology (AFI) for the canton of Schwyz evaluated a partner for the future operation of the cantonal network in the context of a public invitation to tender The requirements were set out in the form of services NAC and DDI services and assigned and one-time ‘Managed Services.’ long-term partner for the management of the WAN network in the canton of Schwyz met the requirements of the invitation to tender on all points SPIE ICS uses a dedicated physical service infrastructure that is only available for the canton of Schwyz The access points for the individual network services are designed as a dual stack for IPv4 and IPv6 communication Information Security Management (ISM) ensures that the services provided always meet the security standards agreed with the customer Users have access to the service portal containing efficient explains: “SPIE ICS met all our requirements during the public invitation to tender and proved to be a reliable and highly competent partner Our cantonal network is now up-to-date and well equipped for future needs.” SPIE ICS made the transition from the current network to the new service infrastructure without interference or loss of services for the various players and Thanks to its many years of experience as a Managed Services provider SPIE ICS benefits from its own tools and processes SPIE ICS already uses its own automation systems which promote standardisation of the network while increasing and optimising its efficiency To find out more, go to www.spie.ch and https://www.linkedin.com/company/spie-switzerland/ The Stoos Bahn has been 14 years in the making I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The steepest funicular railway in the world has opened in Switzerland Running from the valley floor in the town of Schwyz up to the village of Stoos which is located on a plateau beneath the Fronalpstock mountain the Stoos Bahn was 14 years in the making and cost CHF52m (£40m) to construct The funicular has been praised for its revolutionary design, with four cylindrical cabins that adjust to changes in gradient so the floor is always level. Each carriage can carry up to 34 people at speeds of 10m a second along the 1,720m-track, with the journey taking four minutes. It replaces the previous funicular, which had been going since it was built in 1933. The track passes through the side of the mountain for some of the journey, and climbs 743m in total. “After 14 years of planning and building, everyone is very proud of this train,” said railway spokesperson Ivan Steiner. The Stoos Bahn opened to the public on Sunday 17 December. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies 15/11/2016 By the federal Swiss tax office published the latest statistics covering the wealth and earnings of the nation’s more than 5 million tax payers – Switzerland has wealth tax The highest percentage of the very wealthiest (CHF 10 million plus) lived in Schwyz Geneva also made the top five cantons in this category Freienbach in Schwyz source_wikipedia_Roland zh The 2013 figures published last Friday show the total net worth of all Swiss tax-paying individuals climbed 17% from CHF 1.43 trillion to CHF 1.67 trillion Much of the rise can probably be explained by rising share prices rose 25% from 6,567 to 8,215 over the period A sustained decline in share prices would likely make a large dent in these figures especially the net worth of those at the top Aggregate wealth grew by 6% from CHF 1.56 trillion between 2012 and 2013 0.26% of Swiss taxpayers declared net wealth over CHF 10 million The total number worth over CHF 10 million climbed by 26% This ultra rich group owned 29% of the total in 2013 Average wealth in this wealth-band declined slightly from 137 million to 126 million as the number grew faster than their shared wealth The five cantons with the greatest percentage declaring over CHF 10 million were: Schwyz (1.2%) Appenzell Ausserrhoden (0.49%) and Geneva (0.48%) Vaud (0.22%) was below the Swiss average of 0.26% while Zurich (0.39%) and Basel-City (0.32%) were both above it The lowest five in this category were Valais (0.06%) Solothurn (0.10%) and Schaffhausen (0.11%) Three of the cantons with the highest percentages in the CHF 10 million-plus club also had the lowest percentages declaring zero wealth The cantons with the highest percentages of taxpayers with no net wealth were Solothurn (40.7%) also had the lowest levels of average declared wealth Valais and Neuchâtel were the bottom five on this measure with net worth averages between 144,000 and 166,000 At the other end were Schwyz and Nidwalden It simultaneously made the top five on percentages in the wealthiest 10 million-plus category (0.48%) and the top five with the highest percentage declaring zero wealth (38.7%) in terms of the average net worth of the 94% at the bottom with an average net worth of close to CHF 89,000 compared to only CHF 36,000 for the same group in the city of Calvin The percentage of wealth held by those with a net worth over CHF 1 million was similar in both places at around 88% but because residents of Schwyz were on average so much wealthier (CHF 1,017,000 vs CHF 389,000) were worth an average of CHF 174,000 in Schwyz Schwyz had fewer residents with net worth below CHF 100,000 and far fewer declaring nothing: 10.3% in Schwyz and 38.7% in Geneva For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter By subscribing you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy Previous Newsletters Copyright © Le News Sàrl 2014-2022 / Company number: CH-550.1.129.786-5 / VAT number: CHE-193.843.357 TVA By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience is being planned for an area of around 9 hectares on existing pastureland in the Roggenegg area The Swiss highlands offer a lot of potential for generating solar power in winter PV systems located there could receive a bonus from 2023 at an altitude of almost 2,500 meters above sea level expect to start the construction in autumn 2024 “Initial partial commissioning is planned for the end of 2025 and full commissioning in the following years,” says Axpo The project is being planned for an area of around 9 hectares on existing pastureland in the Roggenegg area The area concerned should still be usable for alpine farming after the construction of the solar plant Axpo plans to build more than 1.2 GW of solar capacity in Switzerland. The Swiss government aims to reach 2 TWh of alpine PV production and will enable and facilitate the construction of large-scale ground-mounted PV systems in the Swiss Alps More articles from Pilar Sánchez Molina Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close 01/09/2023 By Becoming a Swiss citizen is a lengthy and sometimes arduous process. For those with an EU passport 10 years of residency is required before applying. In addition, there are language requirements proof of not having received welfare recently and of having paid taxes Some of the naturalisation process is managed at the federal level with key elements done at municipal and cantonal levels This means some cantons and municipalities are more difficult than others The elements of the process that trip people up tend to be at the cantonal and municipal levels. Some municipalities and cantons set general knowledge questions that many Swiss natives would fail to answer correctly. SRF recently reported cases of applicants failing to answer obscure subjective questions set by two municipalities in the canton of Schwytz Applicants were asked if they knew the most common local cow colour or to list two kinds of animals in the local zoo Subjective and personal questions were also asked such as whether there should be more immigration in Switzerland or whether the applicant’s children take swimming lessons According to her questions with no correct answer are problematic Naturalisation is not a political decision or a privilege but an administrative act Unsurprisingly, over the 23 years from 1998 to 2020 the canton of Schwytz had the lowest rate of naturalisation in Switzerland. The average annual rate of regular naturalisation in the canton was 0.9% of foreign residents A further 0.5% were naturalised at a federal level – some foreign residents can obtain citizenship at a federal level and bypass the cantonal and municipal authorities Cantons with the highest annual rates of regular naturalisation include Zurich (2.2%) The Swiss average between 1998 and 2020 was 1.7% Cantons at the other end of the spectrum include Schwyz (0.9%) the more urban cantons and municipalities put fewer hurdles in the way of those aspiring to become Swiss citizens But even there it is a lengthy and costly process More on this:Naturalisation rates by canton (in English) For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter Filed Under: Immigration, International Tagged With: Find out when Switzerland’s public holidays are in 2024 as well as other important dates to note on your calendar By Stephen Maunder Whether you’re living in Switzerland or just visiting it’s important to note the dates of Switzerland’s public holidays (French: feiertagun businesses and public institutions will close or have reduced hours To ensure you don’t miss out on anything important here are all of Switzerland’s public holidays as well as the most important dates for your calendar The most important holiday in Switzerland is Swiss National Day on 1 August This is also technically the only official federal holiday in the country While some Swiss vacations are observed across the nation other festivities are only marked in specific regions Many of these celebrations are based on religion and are usually only held in the cantons where Christianity is observed This means that not all cantons across Switzerland have the same public holidays If a Swiss national holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday workers may take either the Monday or Friday off to create a long weekend some cantons and organizations may allocate a weekday off if the public holiday falls on a weekend Some also coincide with Switzerland’s festivals which is a great opportunity to travel and experience the country’s traditional culture Swiss National Day: what to do and where to celebrate These holidays are celebrated nationally throughout Switzerland: Some (religious) holidays are only observed in certain cantons in Switzerland: it’s a good idea to mark the following dates in your calendar These occasions are observed across Switzerland: Fasnacht: how the Swiss celebrate carnival Many of the Swiss school holidays also align with the country’s public holidays It’s also a great opportunity to explore Switzerland’s culture and landscape with your children To find out when they are, read about school holidays in Switzerland An award-winning finance writer and editor Stephen has been writing for Expatica since 2016 covering a range of financial topics across Europe he’s worked for breaking news broadcasters The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Although most Swiss residents are likely to be viewed as ‘rich’ on a world-wide basis it is also home to more ‘mega-rich’ people per capita than any other nation central cantons of Zug and Schwyz have beaten out the larger better known cantons like Zurich and Geneva when it comes to the amount of millionaires on a per capita basis According to analysis of government figures completed by Swiss tabloid Blick, one in eight residents of these cantons are millionaires READ MORE: Which Swiss canton has the most millionaires? This compares with one in 16 per 1,000 taxpayers for the rest of Switzerland There are 132 millionaires per 1,000 taxpayers in Zug and 125 per 1,000 in Schwyz while Switzerland’s least populous canton is in fourth place: Appenzeller Innerrhoden (93) is in fifth place - which also means it has the most millionaires in total There are 92 millionaires per 1,000 taxpayers in Zurich The highest-placing French-speaking canton is Geneva where there are 62 millionaires per 1,000 taxpayers it may seem somewhat surprising that these two cantons attract the most millionaires on a per capita basis a major reason for this is these cantons low tax rates which attract high-income individuals from other parts of the country and indeed the world Christoph Schaltegger, professor of political economy at the University of Lucerne, told Blick that this was a good thing for smaller cantons “It gives remote and structurally weak regions the opportunity to assert themselves against attractive urban centres,” he said While larger regions like Zurich "have a lot to offer" smaller regions need to use tax law as a way to compete Schaltegger argues that this is important for nationwide equality as otherwise "the gap between town and country would widen economics professor at the University of Basel told Blick that other factors such as costs of housing are far less likely to play a role for the mega-rich than taxation higher housing costs hardly play a role - no matter how luxurious they are," Schmidheiny said "Moving to a tax haven is only worthwhile for them." While precise estimates are difficult to come by Switzerland is home to the fourth largest number of millionaires (based in US dollars) of any country in the world According to pre-pandemic estimates by Credit Suisse Switzerland’s 810,000 millionaires places it fourth after the United States (15 million) China (1.3 million) and Japan (1.1 million) But it is on a per capita basis where Switzerland’s shiny wealth really captures the eye with Switzerland’s population far smaller than the United States There are 62 millionaires for every 1,000 Swiss taxpayers This has increased from 11 per 1,000 taxpayers in 1969 But the location of those millionaires - i.e in which of Switzerland’s 26 cantons they live - may be surprising Please log in here to leave a comment VICTORY FOR WOLF-POWER RACING Two years after the runner-up title in Germany the team from Schwyz celebrated its first major victory in the TCR European series And this after the change from Renault back to the house brand Cupra The team from Lachen in Schwyz experienced a difficult season in 2018 The Renault Mégane TCR developed by Vukovic Motorsport on Lake Constance [...] the Renault Mégane TCR developed by Vukovic Motorsport on Lake Constance was not as competitive as the two Swiss partners had imagined but the TCR Europe Series is on a much higher level and is only surpassed by the FIA WTCC So it's all the nicer that Wolf-Power Racing has now also found its way back onto the road to success Back to Cupra TCR The prerequisite was the switch back to the Cupra TCR in the middle of the season with which Mike Halder was runner-up in the ADAC TCR Germany in 2017 who has been driving for the Swiss company since 2016 remained loyal despite the lack of success with the Renault Mégane The return to the Spanish brand proved to be the right decision back in June at Spielberg The breakthrough now came last weekend at Oschersleben - although this time a lot of luck was also involved Opportunity seized after team effort Having already done well in free practice Morgan posted the seventh-fastest time in qualifying to make it into the Q2 segment of the fastest twelve drivers he made a mistake and only managed two laps due to a spin with consequential damage Because two competitors had even worse problems and didn't set a time at all Morgan was tenth - and thanks to the reversed grid rule of the top ten this meant pole position for the second race the fact that he was able to tackle it was thanks to a team accident Wolf-Power Racing restored the Cupra so that Morgan was not only able to start Pressed over the entire distance by former WTCC and current WTCR driver Tom Coronel the Briton did not allow himself to make any mistakes and thus gave the Schwyz squad an overwhelming triumph An enormous relief and satisfaction for the team boss and his crew Adrian Wolf: "Alex had to go through the bottom with us in the last two years Considering that we operate on a low budget And we've proven that we know how to win races." the European TCR Championship is off the table for Alex Morgan and the team But Wolf-Power Racing is now looking forward to another success As the technical and operational partner of Autorama Motorsport and their VW Golf GTI TCR a good finish at the 24 Hours of Barcelona at the end of the month is enough to secure the 24H Series Europe in the touring car classification The race in Spain is also part of the intercontinental endurance championship (24H Series Continents) the finale of which is the 24 Hours of COTA USA at the Circuit of the Americas in November The newly formed team also won the season opener in Dubai in January If Autorama Motorsports by Wolf-Power Racing also performs reasonably well in Texas the incredible one-two punch for the Swiss TCR team alliance will be a fact wolf-power.ch europe.tcr-series.com The price of single-family homes in the canton of Schwyz rose more than anywhere else in Switzerland last year The Schwyzer Kantonalbank explains the price increase for medium-sized properties of 15% with a tight supply situation Although the supply rate has recently increased somewhat it is still far below the Swiss average of 2.3% only around 150 single-family homes were approved for construction in the entire canton The situation is hardly more relaxed in the case of condominiums: Last year the purchase price for a medium-sized condominium in the canton of Schwyz climbed by as much as 9% which corresponds to a premium of around CHF 100,000 SZKB also blames this on changed needs as a result of the pandemic period - for example greater importance attached to the issue of living comfort Demand is also being fueled by financing terms that continue to be advantageous market activity is determined by the still very tight supply the cantonal supply rate for condominiums in the fourth quarter of 2021 was only half the long-term average A look at the building permits issued also shows that an easing on the supply side is not in sight SZKB therefore expects "slight upward pressure" in the canton with a plus of around 2% currently anticipated for the Central Switzerland region as a whole This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page FAHRSCHULE BISANG Driving lessons on a Camaro What sounds like a story from the land of - formerly - unlimited possibilities is possible here in the canton of Schwyz 6.2 liters are a standard Chevrolet specification and the car is standard through and through Except for the pedals in the passenger footwell "Everything conforms to the rules," reports Dani Bisang It's not the first US Car the 54-year-old has used as a training vehicle: The Camaro is the successor to a Ford Mustang which jump-started countless driving students for 140,000 kilometers Inherited passion Being a driving instructor has always been Daniel Bisang's dream you're right: last October we reported on Stephan Bisang a club member of the Swiss Corvette Club International on the occasion of the club's 40th anniversary both have the US Cars virus practically in the cradle got the father drove himself exclusively American models Stephan Bisang lives out his passion as a hobby Daniel Bisang can indulge in his passion 100 percent every day His uncle was already a driving instructor the boy did a bank apprenticeship and attended commercial school it takes a completed initial training to become a driving instructor The first models on which Dani trained were Peugeot and BMW 3 series classic US cars filled the garage(s) only one by one He has been collecting the Beauties for 30 years "they are good investments," enthuses the father of one son There is a 1968 Dodge Challenger in first-class condition Next to them is a "Vette," a 1999 Corvette C5 in front of the door parked a giant Ami sleigh Dani teased that if the pretty maiden would now also get into the car whereupon she just casually waved the key and thus once and for all had conquered the whole heart of the fan of racy chassis Business as usual He has now been training on American models since 2005 What do driving examiners actually think of the Camaro which is smaller than its class predecessor but still a pretty massive car "Most are neutral," reports the driving instructor "no one is biased or negative." Proof: the day before our meeting the first student driver had passed his test on the red runabout The kit includes the second set of pedals in the passenger footwell additional mirrors inside and the additional mirrors on the outside mirrors The V8 purrs quietly through the Schwyz landscape "That's the engine management," explains the professional "I turn the sound down for the driving students." For me You can also look him up on the driving school rating portal fahrlehrervergleich.ch where today's students go for information when they're looking for a suitable driving school Six stars has the driving school Dani Bisang who takes the trouble to look after his students individually suitable You get a lot of useful and well understandable explanations and therefore feel safe when driving And "Dani is calmness personified," reports Nicolas Kleinert on 4/29/2014 One look at the serene man at the helm of his new workplace leaves no room for doubt www.fahrschule-bisang.ch für welche Sie Benachrichtigungen erhalten möchten Bitte wählen Sie wegen einer technischen Umstellung die Push-Services erneut aus Ich stimme mit der Bestellung in die Speicherung meiner personenbezogener Daten für den Versand der Push-Benachrichtigungen zu Ich kann jederzeit die Push-Benachrichtigungen abbestellen Mit der Abbestellung werden diese Daten gelöscht Möchten Sie die Push-Benachrichtigungen aktivieren ändern Sie den Benachrichtungsstatus in Ihrem Browser Dieser Inhalt ist nur mit einem Digital-Abo sichtbar Sie haben die gedruckte Zeitung abonniert und wollen Zugang zu allen digitalen Inhalten?