Why are there different rules for the rich?

class=”sc-3778e872-0 cKDKQr”>

Apparently the principle applies to us: rich foreigners are good foreigners – and enjoy special treatment. At least that is the impression given by media reports from the newspapers “NZZ” and “Tamedia”. That’s what politics is all about now.

Mohammed Saud Bahwan is an entrepreneur and member of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Oman. Since 2014 he has bought five chalets in Gstaad BE. In the municipality of Saanen, to which Gstaad belongs, he has now also bought a vacant lot, two apartments, fourteen indoor parking spaces and a garage box. In addition, there are at least two other properties in which immediate family members own shares or who they own outright, as the Tamedia newspapers report.

“Gold Visa”

While Lex Koller places strict restrictions on foreign citizens purchasing property in Switzerland, Blick reported that people in the Bernese Oberland are extremely generous – and push the boundaries of what is allowed.

Mohammed Saud Bahwan now has a C permit, although he will probably not live in Switzerland. So-called “golden visas” allow particularly wealthy non-EU/EFTA foreigners to move to Switzerland.

Laws become obsolete

“That’s not possible!” Bernese SP council member Andrea Zryd (47) responds enthusiastically in an interview with Blick. “Our federal constitution states that all people are equal before the law.” In fact, however, this principle is “violated if a foreigner’s wallet is heavy enough”. She submits an application entitled: “Wealthy foreigners get permit C, refugees from war zones are deported?”

Because anyone who comes to our country out of sheer necessity is screened and must meet restrictive conditions to be allowed to stay. However, particularly in the canton of Bern, very wealthy people could obtain a residence permit quite easily. “In this way, the Lex Koller can be tilted elegantly,” says Zryd. She explicitly addresses Mohammed Saud Bahwan, who is not an isolated case.

While the local population in communities like Saanen can hardly find affordable housing and rents are currently rising even more, our homeland is “sold out”. “Our laws should not be lost purely for tax reasons,” emphasizes the alderman.

She is now calling for clarity on the “Golden Visa” practice in Bern. And she wants to know if there’s an inspection going on here.

Clarity at the Bürgenstock

The case that the “NZZ” picked up is about the central Swiss luxury hotel Bürgenstock. According to the report, former finance minister Ueli Maurer (72) wanted an exceptional permit for Qatari owners so that they could also sell the apartments there to foreigners. Maurer referred to a state political interest. The Green National Council Michael Töngi (56) now wants to know how the state political interest is defined in the Lex Koller. And he is demanding information on whether such a procedure is common practice for federal councilors. Töngi has already submitted an interpellation about this.

Source:Blick