MPs want to impose ‘security tax’ on foreigners in Switzerland; dual French-Swiss nationals will have to do army service; and more news in our roundup this Friday.
MPs want to impose ‘security tax’ on foreigners in Switzerland
The National Council approved on Thursday a motion from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) proposing a security tax for foreign nationals residing in Switzerland.
Under the proposal, this charge would be modelled on the exemption tax for military service, which all males who don’t serve in the army are required to pay.
The same parameters would be used to calculate the amount of tax owed as well as the duration of the obligation to pay.
The Council of States still needs to vote on the proposal.
And speaking of the military service…
Dual French-Swiss nationals will have to serve in the army
Under the pact concluded between the two countries in 199, young men who are dual nationals of both Switzerland and France were allowed to forego Swiss military service if they attended the “Defence and Citizenship Day” (“la journée défense et citoyenneté”) in France.
However, “this situation constitutes blatant inequality of treatment compared to young Swiss citizens, who are required to complete their military service,” said deputy Mauro Poggia, who is among those seeking to close the legal loophole.
On Thursday, MPs accepted this motion, extending, at the same time, this obligation to all dual-citizen males living in Switzerland.
READ MORE: Do naturalised Swiss citizens have to do military service?
Prices of properties in Swiss Alps continue to climb
In 2025, Alpine properties became nearly 4 percent more expensive, according to the Alpine Property index published by UBS bank on Thursday.
It shows that the average per square-metre price of residential properties in Swiss mountain resorts continued to increase.
For instance, to purchase a high-end holiday apartment in Gstaad, one must spend an average of 25,200 francs per square metre, making it the most expensive Alpine destination in the ranking.
It is followed by Engadin/St. Moritz (24,000 francs), Verbier (23,600 francs), Andermatt (22,200 francs), and Zermatt (21,000 francs).
Swiss public transport system is among the safest in Europe
Switzerland ranks third – behind the United Kingdom and the Netherlands – in terms of passenger safety, the Federal Office of Transport announced on Thursday.
However, not all modes of transport are equally safe: while no fatalities or serious injuries were reported on trains, cable cars, and boats, the situation was more precarious in urban settings.
The number of passengers who were seriously injured and killed in tram and bus accidents has increased in recent years.
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