MPs favour mentioning offenders’ nationality in police reports; new rents in Switzerland exceed the one-third ‘rule’ average; and more news in our Friday roundup.
MPs in favour of mentioning offenders’ nationality in police reports
In future, law enforcement authorities in Switzerland will have to state the nationality of criminals in police reports.
The National Council approved a nationwide regulation to this effect.
This measure is meant to harmonise practices at the national level, whereas currently each police force decides its information policy individually
“We want a consistent practice at the national level,” said deputy Benjamin Fischer.
“Mentioning age, gender, and nationality does not foster prejudice, contrary to what opponents claim, but simply ensures transparency of the facts,” he added, in response to criticism that such measure would be discriminatory.
The Council of States will vote on this issue next.
Swiss rents often far exceed the one-third rule
The unwritten but common rule in Switzerland is that households should not spend more than one-third of their net income on rents.
But in practice, this ‘rule’ is reaching its limits: many Swiss residents report spending nearly half of their income on housing.
That’s because people who have had to move are facing much higher rents in their new dwellings.
This phenomenon, however, is not yet reflected in the statistics, which are limited to 2021,
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One canton’s health insurance costs will drop, instead of rising
The health insurance premiums for 2026 will be released next week – and are expected to be at least 4 percent higher than currently.
But in Zug they will actually fall – by a hefty 15 percent.
The reason that Zug residents are the luckiest in Switzerland (at least in terms of healthcare costs) is the canton’s enviable high financial surplus.
Zug’s Finance Director Heinz Tännler has 200 million francs that he can distribute to the canton’s citizens.
Therefore, the canton will cover 99 percent of hospital costs in 2026 and 2027.
In concrete terms, a Zug resident paying a 500-franc monthly premium in 2025 will pay 425 francs per month in 2026 and save 900 francs a year.
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But Zug in not the only canton swimming in money…
Basel-City expects a slight surplus for 2026 as well
The Finance Department announced on Thursday that the canton of Basel-City is budgeting a surplus of 3.5 million frans for 2026. The canton intends to use these funds to maintain a high level of investment.
The operating deficit of 277.6 million francs will be slightly outweighed by a surplus i of 281.1 million. By comparison, a deficit of 15.6 million is budgeted for the current year. The 2024 budget showed a surplus of CHF 106.2 million.
For the coming year, the canton plans investments totaling 545.6 million francs -. 42.7 million more than in the previous year.
Unlike in Zug, this money will not go toward lowering health insurance premiums, but will be used for public benefit as well: o purchase electric buses and trams, as well as finance the construction of new buildings for the Natural History Museum and the State Archives.
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