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COST OF LIVING

EXPLAINED: What you need to know about Switzerland’s TV licence

Almost everyone who lives in Switzerland is required to pay the TV and radio licence. Here are the key points.

Published: 24 October 2018 20:07 CEST
EXPLAINED: What you need to know about Switzerland's TV licence
Photo: Depositphotos

As of January 1st 2019, a new regime for Switzerland’s compulsory TV and radio licence fee came into force. 

1) A compulsory, universal fee

As of 2019, all households in Switzerland will have to pay a TV and radio licence fee. This money is used to subsidise the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and a range of private regional radio and TV channels.

Previously, only households with traditional devices like televisions and radios had to pay this fee. From next year, however, payment of the new ‘device-independent’ fee will be universal and compulsory.

This is based on the idea that new technologies including smartphones, computers and tablets can also be used to watch television and listen to radio alongside traditional technologies.

2) A cheaper fee

In 2018, households had to pay a licence fee of 451 Swiss francs (€400) regardless of how many residents they have. From 2019, the new fee is 365 francs.

From 2021 onwards, the fee was reduced to CHF355 per annum. The Swiss government announced in 2022 that further reductions were being considered due to a surplus of funds. 

Read also: Swiss vote against plan to scrap compulsory TV licence fee

Companies with a turnover of over 500,000 Swiss francs a year also have to pay the television and radio fee even if they use no televisions or radios. See here for more information on company charges.

3) A name change

Collection of household licence fees will now be carried out by Swiss company SERAFE, and not Billag as was previously the case.

For companies, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration will be collecting fees.

4) Very few exemptions

Currently, around 10 percent of Swiss households do not pay a licence fee. But that number is set to become a lot smaller in future as only households that can demonstrate they don’t have a television, radio, smartphone or other electronic device with internet access will be exempt.

Other exemptions cover households where at least one person is receiving extra pension (AHV/AVS) or disability insurance (IV/AI) support from their local commune. Diplomats are also exempt.

5) Two bills in 2019

To ensure a constant flow of money to broadcasters, the collection company SERAFE decided it will divide Swiss households into 12 billing groups, with one group for each of the month of the year.

For administrative reasons, most households actually received two bills in 2019 while the new system was being rolled out.

Read also: Swiss public broadcaster refuses to air ad for sex toys advent calendar

For members

LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Pigs, jobs and money: What the new data reveals about Switzerland

Even if you have been living in Switzerland for a while, there are still some interesting things to learn about the country.

Published: 19 April 2024 14:13 CEST
Pigs, jobs and money: What the new data reveals about Switzerland

Yes, there are chocolate, cheese, and cows, but they only partly represent what Switzerland is all about — not even if you throw watches, banks, and army knives into the mix.

But new data released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Friday completes that picture with some interesting facts and figures about the country.

Here are some of them.

Life expectancy at birth

Switzerland is known to have one of the world’s highest life expectancy rates, and the study confirms that: 85.4 years for women and 81.6 years for men.

Demographers attribute this longevity to factors like good access and quality of healthcare, along with generally high standard of living.

READ ALSO: The reasons why living in Switzerland can prolong your life 

Employment

Switzerland has been experiencing higher immigration, with the population expected to reach the 10-million mark within the next few years.

Out of the 5.2-million-strong workforce, 1.7 million are foreign nationals: 78.3 are permanent residents, and  the remaining 21.7 percent are cross-border commuters.
 
FSO also found that 45 percent work in or around just five cities: Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva, and Lausanne.

Economy

The country boasts one of the world’s strongest and most prosperous economies.

According to FSO’s latest findings, Switzerland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — the total value of goods and services provided in a country during one year — amounts to 781,460 million francs.

This translates to 88,717 francs per inhabitant.

Cattle (yes, you heard it right, cattle)

Switzerland has just over 1.5 million head of cattle.

You might think that cows constitute the majority but no — the pigs do.

Roughly 1.3 million pigs live in Switzerland and ‘only’ 670,000 cows (no data is available for goats).

However, cows have an edge over pigs in at least one area: they have names, with Fiona, Diana, Bella, Bianca, and Nina being the most popular. (For pigs, we only know of Babe). 

READ ALSO : Why are cows so important in Switzerland? 

The happiness factor

Nearly 70 percent of Switzerland’s population say that are happy and satisfied with their lives, while 3 percent are not (27 percent remain neutral on this issue).

Just over 8 percent of residents are classified as poor (so probably not happy) — that is, earning  less than 2,284 francs per month for an individual, and 4,010 per month per month for a family.
 
Politics

Thanks of Switzerland’s unique system of direct democracy, 666 referendums have been held since 1848 — the year the country’s constitution was created.

Half of those were held in the last 40 years.

Of the political parties, the Swiss People’s Party has the highest representation in the parliament (47.9 percent) and the Greens the lowest (9.8 percent).

Public spending

The government is spending just over 82 million a year, with the bulk of this money earmarked to fiancé the social security scheme, followed by public transport and education.

The least is spent on environmental protection.

Social security

Just over quarter million people in Switzerland — 256, 800 to be exact — receive social security payments; 27 percent of the GDP goes toward social welfare.

Of that, most (42 percent) is spent on pensions,  followed by healthcare (33 percent).

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