The Swiss will vote on two issues in a national referendum, and foreign students will see their tuition fees increase — these are among the news The Local reported this week. You can find out all about it in this weekly roundup.
Two hot issues are on the national ballot this month
Swiss citizens will have their say on two topics in the referendum on September 28th.
The first is the long-debated and still controversial issue of the electronic identification card (e-ID), allowing Switzerland to keep pace with the digital transition.
The other issue concerns the government's desire to remove the imputed rental value taxation that is currently in place for primary and secondary residences.
Insurance companies can legally charge foreigners higher car premiums
It's no secret that many foreign residents pay higher rates for their car insurance than Swiss citizens, or even citizens of other countries. This practice is legal in Switzerland – unlike in the EU.
Insurance companies justify this system by emphasizing that it is based on statistics: in determining premiums, they take into account criteria such as age, driving history, type of car and, yes, even nationality, albinfo.ch reports.
All of these factors affect the probability of an accident, and data shows that some foreigners are involved in more accidents than others, insurance providers say.
Foreign students will pay higher tuition fees at Switzerland's two top universities
When the new academic year begins at EPFL on September 8 and at its sister institution ETH Zurich on September 18, new international students will see their tuition fees triple.
This means their fees will increase from 1,460 francs per year currently to 4,380 francs.
These increases are intended to compensate for lower federal contributions because by 2025, government financial assistance to the two public institutes has been significantly reduced.
Foreigners have mixed feelings about living in Switzerland
The latest Expat Insider survey published by InterNations places Switzerland in 29th place out of 46 countries included.
It didn't get a better score because, although many foreign residents appreciate the political and economic stability, as well as the quality of life they found in Switzerland, a number of others complain about the high cost of living and the difficulty they have had in making local friends – the same issues that most foreigners find challenging.
How the Swiss government plans to mitigate the impact of US tariffs
To help Switzerland's export-oriented sectors cope with US trade tariffs, the government supports an 'urgent expansion of short-time work benefits'.
According to the government, "short-time work refers to a temporary reduction or complete suspension of work in a company, whereby the contractual employment relationship remains in force."
In other words, this system is not intended for companies that go completely bankrupt, but only for those that face temporary financial difficulties beyond their control and, therefore, are unable to pay their employees' salaries, either in whole or in part.
Tenants can benefit from lower rents
For the second time in 2025, Swiss benchmark rates – used to set rents – have fallen. This means that many tenants can expect their rents to decrease as well.
Specifically, the reference interest rate valid for determining rents throughout Switzerland has fallen by 0.25 percent and is now 1.25 percent.
This means that tenants are generally entitled to request a rent reduction of 2.91 percent if their rent is based on the previous benchmark interest rate of 1.5 percent.
If, on the other hand, it is based on a rate higher than 1.5 percent, the rent reduction will be higher.
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