Valais is the Swiss leader in lump-sum taxation; hard-right creates a fake video to prompt the ‘yes’ vote on its neutrality initiative; and more news in our roundup on Monday.
Valais is the Swiss leader in lump-sum taxation
While the overall number of wealthy foreigners benefiting from this system of taxation is declining in Switzerland, tax revenues from this group continue to rise.
Of all the cantons, Valais has most foreign nationals – 841 – taxed on a lump-sum basis.
Most of these wealthy individulas live in Valais’ most expensive mountain resorts, such as Zermatt, Verbier, and Crans-Montana.
Hard-right creates a fake video campaign to prompt the ‘yes’ vote on its neutrality initiative
The Swiss will cast their votes on September 27th on the populist bid to tighten the country’s neutrality.
Faced with – according to voter surveys – a massive rejection at the polls, the youth section of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has created a video portraying Switzerland being attacked by undisclosed enemies and Swiss soldiers dying on the battlefield.
According to the voice-over accompanying the video, “only the acceptance of the neutrality initiative will guarantee peace in Switzerland.”
The scare-mongering tactic sparked criticism from more moderate politicians.
“This video is unparalleled in its ignorance of history and distortion of facts,” said MP Marianne Binder from the Centre Party.
READ MORE: The future of Swiss neutrality to be decided at the ballot box
Father of rave shooter reveals the extent of his son’s mental illness
According to Aarau police, the individual who fired randomly with several weapons at partyers on August 30th – killing one person and injuring five others – was ‘psychologically unstable’.
The nature of his illness had not been disclosed at that time, but now his father told the local newspaper in canton Jura where the family lives, that his son was receiving disability insurance as he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and even spent some time in a psychiatric hospital.
Some time ago, however, he stopped all treatment that had been prescribed to him, and his mental state had gradually deteriorated.
How this diagnosis did not ring the alarm when he (legally) purchased his arsenal of weapons is now under investigation.
American driver clocked at 251 km/h between Bern and Fribourg
A 23-year-old motorist residing in the United States was clocked travelling at 251 km/h on the A12 motorway at Bösingen (Fribourg).
The speed limit on this motorway is 120 km/h, which means that the reckless tourist was traveling – in a rental car – 131 km/h over the legal limit.
There’s no word on whether alcohol was involved.
The speeder was placed in pre-trial detention.
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