Vignette, rent, public transport prices: you need to know about these changes in December

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From December 1, 2023, many medicines will become cheaper in Switzerland. The federal government has ordered price cuts on a total of 350 drugs. On average, the price should drop by ten percent.

The catch: objections to individual orders are already pending. It is therefore unclear when exactly price reductions will take place.

Every year, the Federal Office for Public Health (BAG) checks one third of the medicines covered by basic insurance – for cost-effectiveness, but also for effectiveness and usefulness. Over the past six years, 740 million francs have been saved in favor of basic insurance.

The 2024 highway vignette will be available from December 1, 2023 and for the first time as an e-vignette at the start of sales. Drivers must switch to the new vignette no later than February 1, 2024.

Good news: the 2024 vignette will not become more expensive. It costs 40 francs, the same as the 2023 vignette. It is valid until January 31, 2025.

The e-vignette is no longer tied to the vehicle, but to the license plate. This is good news for interchangeable plate owners. The federal government writes in a statement: “Interchangeable license plates require only one e-vignette, instead of a separate self-adhesive vignette for each vehicle as was previously the case. Moreover, when purchasing a new vehicle during the year, you do not have to purchase a new vignette, as long as the same license plate is used.

Automatic backup of WhatsApp chats to Google Drive will incur a charge – at least for users who want to store larger backups in the cloud. Google will introduce new rules in December. According to the company, WhatsApp backups will count towards Google Drive storage space in the future. There is an exemption limit of 15 gigabytes. If you need more memory, you will need to expand your storage from 15 to 100 gigabytes. This costs just under 20 francs per year. The free alternatives: Create a local WhatsApp backup on your smartphone or delete older, no longer needed videos and images in WhatsApp.

With WhatsApp, the backup will be charged for certain users from December

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) adjusts the interest rate on sight deposits. This refers to funds that can be withdrawn or used for transactions at any time without restrictions.

The SNB, among other things, reduces the factor for the limits used for the graduated interest rate on sight deposits. This will be reduced from 28 to 25 at the beginning of December.

Up to this limit, the SNB interest rate applies to demand deposits. Demand deposits above the limit bear interest at the SNB key interest rate minus an interest discount of 0.5 percentage points. According to the SNB, the basis for calculating the limits remains unchanged.

Google reserves the right to delete inactive accounts starting December 1. Even then, users can still comment. Google will notify you about this several times before actually deleting accounts, the company said.

However, this only applies to accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. There are also exceptions, for example for accounts with a YouTube channel, with an app published in the Google Play Store or with active gift vouchers. To keep your Google Account, sign in at least once every two years.

Be careful, Google may delete your account!

The SBB will introduce a new timetable on December 10, 2023. The changes resulting from the timetable change would mainly affect the connections between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, but also for both regions themselves, the company wrote in a statement. According to SBB, there will initially be hardly any changes in French-speaking Switzerland.

These are the most important changes:

1. The half-hourly service is introduced on the Gotthard axis. This will provide commuters and holidaymakers from Ticino and German-speaking Switzerland with additional connections and relieve pressure on existing connections.
2. Two new IC61 connections are being introduced between Basel and Interlaken. They run as IC6 between Basel and Brig. The SBB writes: “This means that travelers from Brig can come directly to Bern and Basel earlier than before. In the opposite direction, the last IC6 from Basel via Bern to Brig will now run an hour later than before. According to SBB, the existing connections to and from Interlaken will only continue during the night from Sunday to Monday.
3. Two more direct connections Geneva-Zürich-Chur will be introduced this weekend.
4. From December, trains with more seats will be deployed ‘on selected lines’, for example between Olten and Lucerne.
5. Some changes in the S-Bahn company: The SBB introduces a half-hourly service for the S11 between Dietikon and Aarau and for the S23 from Dulliken towards Langenthal and Baden.

With the timetable change on December 10, prices for public transport will also increase. The price increase for all services amounts to 3.7 percent.

The GA general season ticket for adults 2nd class will increase by approximately 135 francs to 3,995 francs. The GA youth rate for 2nd class increases by 130 francs to 2,780 francs. The GA senior for 2nd class even increases by 160 francs to 3,040 francs.

Only a GA is cheaper:

In 1st class, GA prices will also increase on December 10. The GA adult costs 6,520 francs (instead of 6,300 francs), the GA senior costs 4,950 francs (instead of 4,840 francs). Only the GA youth price drops – by 70 francs to 4,450 francs.

Anyone living in a household where there is no device suitable for receiving radio or television programs can be exempt from the Serafe tax for a certain period. This is possible until December 31. Corresponding requests via the form are checked and approved if necessary. The Federal Council regulates which categories of equipment are suitable for the reception of radio and television programs.

The devices include: radio (car, ship, motorcycle, alarm clock), television sets, multifunctional devices (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone), internet connection including WiFi and digital radio and television reception via media box/receiver ( Swisscom TV, UPC, DVB-T standard).

Households that have the Serafe removed and then use a receiving device must immediately report this in writing to the collection agency.

In December, the reference mortgage rate rose again, by 0.25 percent to 1.75 percent. Bad news for tenants. Ultimately, rents will probably increase by three percent.

However, the Federal Council wants to counter this trend and push down rising rents with measures that can be implemented in the short term. He expects rents to rise by about 15 percent within a relatively short period of time. The Ministry of Economic Affairs should draw up a consultation template before the summer.

The Federal Council wants to adjust the regulations regarding the rental and leasing of residential and commercial buildings. In his words, the measures are intended to “achieve a certain rent-reducing effect” and increase transparency in the rental market.

(with SDA)

Source:Blick