Ideally, in an idyllic rural location, but never more than 20 minutes’ drive from a city centre: that’s how Mr and Mrs Swiss want to live. Of course, the tax burden plays an important role in choosing where to live, especially for the less well-off.
The comparison service Comparis has published some exciting results. These are from a representative survey conducted in March 2022 by the market research institute Innofact. The survey was carried out in all regions of Switzerland.
Romantic seclusion means nothing to the inhabitants of the mountain region: most respondents do not even want to reach the nearest center in half an hour.
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Percentage of respondents think that the maximum travel time of 20 minutes to the nearest center with their own vehicle is acceptable.
However, 52 percent of those living in the mountains find a 20-minute journey on public transport acceptable.
Significantly more people (62 percent) than German-speaking Swiss in Ticino see the 20-minute limit as the maximum acceptable.
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Percentage of people in French-speaking Switzerland consider a travel time of 20 minutes to be the maximum acceptable time.
The study also shows that people with a gross household income of up to CHF 4,000 want a short route to the nearest centre. Specifically: 66 percent for public transport and 70 percent for private transport.
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Percentage of respondents prefer to buy a property in the country when asked about the type of housing community.
This is immediately followed by the agglomeration with 31 percent and then the city with 26 percent. In particular, people over the age of 35 and with less education, i.e. not having a high school or university degree, prefer to buy property in the country.
The tax burden contributes to the selection of residential areas. But it’s not the rich who pay attention to the tax burden.
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The percentage of people with a monthly income of less than 4,000 francs find the tax burden in their community of residence very significant.
For people with an income of more than 8,000 francs per month, this rate is only half, or 19 percent.
First of all, people over the age of 55 find the tax burden very important with a share of 41 percent. Among those under 35, only 16 percent are concerned about the tax burden at their place of residence.