US may lower Switzerland’s trade tariffs at last; car insurance premiums to rise next year; and more news in our Wednesday roundup.
Donald Trump: ‘We want to help Switzerland’
Those are not the words one would expect from the US president, as Bern’s previous attempts to lower the 39-percent tariffs have been unsuccessful.
However, after Swiss business leaders met with Trump last week (and gifted him a Rolex watch and a gold bar), he has softened.
As reported by US media, “the president confirmed that White House officials were working on a deal to get the tariffs a little lower.”
“I haven’t set any number, but we’re going to be working on something to help Switzerland,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
The tariff on Swiss exports could be cut to 15 percent, matching the rate that was imposed on EU exports to the US.
If that happens – and insiders believe it could happen within days – it would be a big boost to Switzerland’s economy, which has been suffering from the hefty tariffs.
Car insurance premiums are set to rise again in 2026
It is not only the cost of health insurance that will increase next year.
The prices of another obligatory insurance – that for vehicles – will go up as well, according to a new survey carried out among the country’s 13 biggest insurance companies by Comparis consumer platform.
The main reasons providers cite for the hike are higher costs for repairs, more expensive spare parts, as well as increasing storm damage.
Among the companies surveyed, Generali, Zurich Switzerland, Allianz, PostFinance, TCS, and Bâloise all mentioned the need for premium adjustments. Zurich and TCS, more cautious, said that rates will likely rise without specifying when or by how much.
Simpego, for its part, spoke of case-by-case adjustments upon contract renewal.
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Government sheds light on Swiss murder statistics
As part of the police crime statistics (PCS), the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) conducted a supplementary survey on both attempted and completed homicides in Switzerland from 2019 to 2023.
The aim was to gather more information on victims and suspects than that provided by the PCS.
These are some of the findings:
- The victims of homicides committed within a couple, whether it be a past or current relationship, are almost exclusively women (93 percent), while the accused are predominantly men.
Outside the domestic sphere, the proportion of men and women changes, with more men being victims of completed homicide (73 percent). Those accused of homicides outside the domestic sphere are almost exclusively men (94 percent).
“The causes of homicides are complex and multifaceted,” the FSO found.
Various risk factors can lead to tensions within a couple or family. Alcohol, drug, and medication use (29 percent), financial problems (28 percent), and mental health issues (28 percent) were reported among individuals accused of attempted or completed homicides within a couple.
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