Federalism: A comparative analysis between Switzerland and other federal countries
Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between a central government and various sub-national units of government,…
Value Added Tax (VAT) Rates Worldwide: Overview of Consumption Taxes
The Value Added Tax (VAT) is one of the primary revenue collection tools in many countries around the world and can vary significantly from…
Federal elections 2023
On Sunday 22 October 2023, Swiss voters elected the upper and lower chambers of parliament for the 2023-2027 term.
Scenarios for a ‘new normal’ in geopolitics
A period of globalization, prosperity and relative political calm since the end of the Cold War is over. What comes next is still in play.
Liechtenstein and Italy sign against double taxation
As part of a virtual signing ceremony, Head of Government and Minister of Finance Daniel Risch, together with his Italian counterpart…
Electronic Highway Vignette Coming Soon
Starting August 1, 2023, an electronic sticker (e-vignette) will be introduced as part of a dual system for the use of Swiss national roads…
To adopt or not to adopt? Pondering the euro question
History shows that various monetary and exchange rate regimes can work well or poorly, depending on the countries’ circumstances and…
Switzerland chair of the UN Security Council
The Swiss Confederation will lead the important U.N. organization during May 2023
Switzerland will be removed from the Italian black list
Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti signed a political declaration concerning the…
Vatican geopolitics
The Church’s global influence will dwindle unless a new Catholic wave reverses current trends.
UBS acquires Credit Suisse: a new era begins
UBS acquires Credit Suisse with Federal Council approval granting a guarantee for additional liquidity support to Credit Suisse from the…
The U.S. is subsidizing clean energy. What about the EU?
American efforts to advantage its clean energy sector may sting Europe, but Brussels has few effective options to respond.
Oil markets: An early peek into 2023
Despite Western sanctions and volatile prices, Russian oil exports proved resilient last year. The global oil market may face different…
People of Liechtenstein reject casino ban with clear NO vote
In the Principality of Liechtenstein, an initiative to ban casinos was voted on where it called for the closure of existing ones within the…
Post-globalization: The West’s strategy options
After three decades of openness and cooperation, the world is breaking into hostile blocs. For the West, “friend-shoring” may be the best…
The AHV 21 reform will become effective on January 1, 2024
The AHV 21 reform was accepted by the people and cantons on September 25, 2022, and the Federal Council set an effective date of January 1,…