There are too many false folklore about Switzerland, such as having money. The most embarrassing thing is that Switzerland is often considered a Nordic country, and Sweden is a Nordic country. The Swiss are really helpless. In fact, Switzerland is sandwiched between France and Austria, and it is a real Western European country. In addition, there are many "fantasies" about Switzerland
1. Switzerland is rich, and Swiss people are rich
Switzerland has money, in fact, it has nothing to do with the vast majority of ordinary people, and there are many rich people in other countries. This is because the tax rate in Switzerland is lower than that of neighboring countries, so there are many rich people in the world who settle in Switzerland, giving the illusion that the Swiss are rich. Because the proportion of poor and busy people in Switzerland is not low, the data I saw in the past few years is that the gross annual salary of a family is less than 80,000 Swiss francs, even for poor and busy people. At that time, the average monthly salary in the country was about 5200 Swiss francs, but the salary varied from state to state. In some states, the average monthly salary is at most more than 4000, and the average monthly salary of ordinary workers and employees may be between 3500-4000 Swiss francs. Major cities such as Zurich, Geneva and Basel will be paid. And the Swiss are generally very low-key, even the rich do not want to show off their wealth. I have seen reports that some rich people have several luxury cars, but they all buy the same, using only one license plate. Neighbors all thought he only had one luxury car (only one license plate was less than license tax). It should be noted that the price difference between similar goods in Switzerland and neighboring countries may reach 30% (Switzerland sells expensively). The reason is that the Swiss are very unfair because of their high salaries. Therefore, the Swiss living in the border areas often go shopping in France, Germany and Italy, and can get a tax refund, but the number is limited.
Usually, women do not go to work after marriage and children. A family often has only one income, calculated on the basis of an average gross salary of 5200 Swiss francs (net salary around 4500-4700). The monthly expenses of a family of four are generally as follows: rent: 1200-1800 (Swiss law stipulates that the monthly rent/mortgage cannot exceed one-third of the total salary, and the housing rate in Switzerland is about 32%), medical insurance: 500-800; food: 800-1000; transportation (including license tax, car insurance, fuel or train costs): 200-500; children's expenses: 50-200; telecommunications fees: 80-200; so in fact, this salary is not enough for a family of four.
2. Swiss benefits are good
The people who say this are completely ignorant of the swiss conditions, and the welfare of Switzerland really lies in the sheep. According to Swiss law, every resident must buy health insurance, but in recent years, medical insurance has increased year by year, and everyone is suffering, so many people will change insurance companies when they know the increase at the end of the year. Today's social welfare is not enough to make ends meet, because Switzerland is aging more and more seriously. The statutory retirement age is now 65 for men and 62 for women. The government wanted to improve it, but failed to pass a referendum. The same is true of other social benefits, there are fixed jobs, wages reach a certain amount before wages can be paid, wages can be enjoyed, and those who are not paid cannot enjoy them. Unemployment benefits are also linked to the number of years you paid at work before, and you can enjoy unemployment benefits for up to two years (single people are 70% of their previous salary, 80% of their children), and those who have not paid can not receive unemployment benefits. As for the relief of refugees and others, that is another matter, and the current trend is becoming more and more stringent
3. Swiss multi-bank
There are only many banks in big cities such as Zurich and Geneva, and there are not many small local banks. The most common banks in China are not UBS or Credit Suisse (not every town has these two banks), but state-owned banks and credit unions
4. Swiss watches
In my impression, many watches are sold to foreigners, especially tourists. Locals rarely buy expensive watches. In general, Tissot is the most common watch in ordinary Swiss stores. Many people even desWatch and Rolex, which are fairly rare watches worn by the Swiss
5. The Swiss are a mixture of Germans, French and Italians
The Swiss hate to be mistaken for Germans, French or Italians. The Swiss are introverted and mostly pride themselves on being Swiss. At the European Cup, for example, Swiss French speakers wore their favourite t-shirts with the words "jesusoutiens l 'quipe quibat l 'quipe de France" (I support winning France).
Switzerland was founded in 1291. At that time, the three cantons (Uri, Schwwätz, and Nidwalden, commonly known as the "Old Three Cantons") began to form an independent alliance in order to get rid of the Habsburg Dynasty (formerly Aarau, Switzerland), and gradually more and more cantons joined. So far, there are 26 states and half a state. Switzerland's territory was officially identified as associated with Napoleon Bonaparte, who also formally accepted Switzerland's neutrality
6. It turns out that these international giants are Swiss
I used to think that SPC was a German pharmaceutical company, Logitech was an American company, but when I arrived in Switzerland, I learned that they were all Swiss companies, spc is one of the most famous pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, and it is a pharmaceutical giant like Bayer Pfizer in the world, and the famous Dadura Kant Liquid Viagra is from here. However, the backbone of the Swiss economy is a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises, each employing two-thirds of the total number of employees in the country
7. Switzerland is a neutral country, so there is no army
In fact, all Swiss people are soldiers (men are obligated, women are voluntary), and the neutrality of the country is guaranteed by strong national defense. Every Monday and Friday, when active duty soldiers take the train to/back to the barracks, it is considered a major attraction in Switzerland. In the past, ammunition was also placed at home. In recent years, guns (rifles) have been kept at home, but ammunition has remained in the barracks. I have a friend who works in a railroad company and says that it often happens that a soldier brother throws his rifle on the train and comes back to find it
8. Equality between men and women?
Although Switzerland was one of the first countries in the world to practice democracy, it was the last country in Europe, after Liechtenstein, to adopt women's suffrage. It was not until 1971 that women were allowed to participate in federal elections, and in 1981, equal rights for men and women were incorporated into the Constitution. Although three of Switzerland's seven federal councillors are women and the federal justices are also women, it is felt that men and women are still unequal in Switzerland, especially in terms of employment and wages. Switzerland is still a traditional country. After getting married and having children, most women still choose to teach each other at home. In the workplace, men and women are paid differently for the same job, and women's salaries are about 70-80% of men doing the same work. Women in traditional male occupations are discriminated against in terms of wages. I have a girlfriend who is an architect, Swiss, and often complains to me about the salary.