It seems that there has been such a rise in persons of undisclosed ethnicys bringing gold into CH, that banks have had to rent hotel safes.
It goes so far that some are being caught on the border with their gold and other stuff, platin, diamonds etc. stowed in backpacks.
The reporter did mention that `most`have been legally taxed.
¨
Just a curiosity or the start of something else?
Anyway it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I am not sure I get this. Bringing gold into CH but what quantities? A woman who has lots of jewelries for exemple, could she be taxed on it? That would sound weird if it is personal possessions.

Gold and diamonds are easier to move and harder to trace if the wealth is ill-gotten or you are trying to move it out of a war zone. I imagine Africa would be the main source of such things.

Not too sure, the news report was a bit vague, interesting is that fact that lately there has been a rise. Not something you see in times of stability, are they trying to get their pretties to assumed safety before the big bang in the middle east?

Bringing gold, diamonds, cash etc into Switzerland is not illegal.

What is illegal is tax fraud. Thus whether the tax due has been paid in the country of origin will be suspect. Not to mention how this was earned...

A tourist is supposed to take everything they bring into CH away when they leave. Goods that are imported for resale would be taxed by the customs. If someone comes with a large quantity it would seem to be 'commercial' in which case a Carnet ATA can be used for tempory import upto I year.

it was not about the tax or legality or illegality but the fact that traffic has increased so much that banks must rent hotel safes for storage.
I am asking myself why is there such a raise in people bringing hard valuables into CH?

Cash is becoming harder and harder to quietly/illegally move with many governments chasing undeclared, offshore accounts to boost tax revenues.
No surprise that other means of moving wealth that allow for larger value in smaller physical size are on the increase.

Not saying it's right, just saying it's not surprising. What's wrong with this is that there are so many people who think that because they are wealthy they shouldn't have to pay their fair share of taxes, like it's some kind of natural order of the world thing.

If someone is fortunate enough to be wealthy the taxes they should pay are not going to make them poor. The economic benefit of paying their taxes to their countries would help to increase the standards of living. How governments use the money is an entirely different thread/topic all on it's own, but the mindset behind tax evasion is disturbing and sad.

If you are asking why there has been a rise in the number of people bringing large quantities of physical valuables into Switzerland, then unfortunately you must look at the source of such items. The undeveloped world is (as always) going through a turbulent period, and in such periods wealthy people fear for their wealth. In some of these countries, government ministers are almost guaranteed to be embezzling money. Companies abuse the environment and human rights to make profits. Wealthy people may be prevented from transferring large sums of money outside the country by capital controls. In all of the above situations, it is much easier for people to get their wealth out of the country by using gold, diamonds, etc. than through traceable channels.