Source: Swissinfo - most issues would have a thread in detail under Swiss Politics / News subforum.

Amid hundreds of new laws coming into force on January 1 will be a mechanism for cracking down on sham marriages and sweeping reforms to simplify legal processes. Recent statistics show that of 3,500 marriages examined in 2008, nearly 500 were found to be illegal. In the New Year, illegal immigrants and asylum seekers will no longer be able to marry in Switzerland.


The new federal code bans certain types of undercover investigations, prompting concerns that it would prevent police from posing as children in internet chatrooms to catch paedophiles. But the issue is being changed as a result once again on a cantonal level, giving cantons the right to authorise police to browse chatrooms secretly.

Under a legal amendment coming into force, Switzerland will be taking a harder stance against war crimes. Crimes against humanity will enter into the Swiss penal code, requiring Switzerland to crack down on the most serious crimes, even if they are committed abroad.

The biggest ever merging of districts becomes official on January 1. The 25 communes of canton Glarus will combine to form just three districts: Glarus, Glarus North and Glarus South. At 430 square kilometres, the latter will be the biggest such merged district in the country. From the January 1, Switzerland will have 2,551 communes, 348 fewer than in the year 2000. Another 48 Vaud communes are due to merge in the first quarter of 2011 to form 12 regrouped entities.

In another residency change, foreigners finishing their studies in Switzerland will be allowed to stay on another six months to find a job.

Swiss will have to spend more on health insurance with annual premiums once again going up. Among other rises, a pack of cigarettes will cost SFr0.20 more.

A new SFr250 ($264) allowance per child and an option to make childcare by a third party deductible by SFr10,000 per child.

Adding incentives to politics in an electoral year, donations to political parties for under SFr10,000 will also be tax deductible.

A minimum wage will be set for cleaners: SFr18.20 an hour when working at least five hours a week for the same employer. Switzerland typically sets out minimum wages by sector.

And to boost employment, several initiatives will provide for the assets of people aged 58-70 who continue working.

A new law will extend until the end of 2012 measures to guarantee protection for the amount deposited into bank accounts, from SFr30,000 to SFr100,000 – in case of bank failure.

The Swiss Federal Constitution in EN ( unofficial ) is here ( HTML )

Ignorantia juris non excusat

Ignorance of the law is no excuse / defence!

__________________
404 – punoɟ ʇou ɹoʇɐɹǝpoɯ

I think that is CHF 100,000 per Bank, or is it per account? Do you have to hold CHF 200,000 in two different banks to get the full protection?

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From this dated PDF:
http://www.wwp.ch/publications/623.pdf

increases the depositors’ bankruptcy privilege to CHF 100,000 from CHF 30,000 per depositor and bank;

Jrspet thank you very much for the info. Would you be kind to further clarify in few words what does exactly mean ` an option to make childcare by a third party deductible by SFr10,000 per child.`` Who qualifies as a third party and who is considered 2nd party in this case. Happy new year

I am not sure, but have these two links as food for thought:

Officialdom ( using Google Translate )

http://www.tagesfamilien.ch.sarge.iw...language=de-CH
( Google Translated into EN here )

It looks to me that the Swiss Federal employees will be given extra tax relief for their daytime child care!
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Rough Google translation, http://www.efd.admin.ch/aktuell/medi...e&msg-id=36379

Employees with children to support

The Federal harmonizes the financial support for family childcare for all employees of the federal administration. New conditions for the financial support and the level of contributions to the family childcare within the federal administration are fragmented. The federal employer participates, depending on household income, amounting to 50 to 100 percent of the costs of childcare outside the family of employees.

The Federal Council is taking in harmonizing to the fact that employees of the federal administration to combine family and career. He wants to win more working parents as future employees in order to exploit this potential even better. He is the unification of the family childcare also for another nationwide action from the staff survey 2009th

First party = child, second party = parents, third party = childcare centre ( or nanny etc) ?

For convenience ( credit goes to another member for posting this, but elsewhere ), here is a link in EN to the Federal Laws database:

http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/rs.html

Disclaimer

English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. These ranslations are provided for information purposes only and have no legal force.

I could not find any reference to this outside of Swissinfo.ch. Does anyone have an idea as to whether this is an additional monthly allowance similar to the chf200 per month paid per child, an increase from chf 200 to chf 250 or just a one off tax allowance?

Thanks

Looks a bit as if certain Federal agencies in effect will be banned from certain undercover investigations, while the Cantonal Police forces CAN continue to do so. I think it just was a matter for "interpretation" of the law by the Federal Ministry of Justice (Mrs Sommaruga) and not an actual change of the Federal law in question, as police matters are Cantonal by constitution anyway.

the other important one is the reduction of unemployment benefits and increase in the insurance contribution for those who earn 120k+ from 2% to 2.2%
Starting April 1 you will have to work 2 years + to be eligible for the 400 paid days benefit. If you work a year or so you only get a year. Could not find a exact english translation so just thought I would get it out here.

A quick and dirty Google translation of the "20 Minutes" today

http://www.20min.ch/news/schweiz/sto...n-ist-28899022

Again purse is the impact of the adjustment of value added tax: The rate for most goods increases from 7.6 to 8 percent, that for the basic necessities of 2.4 to 2.5 percent. VAT will be raised for the benefit of disability insurance, as the voters wanted it.

In the unemployment insurance also flows a little more money: Employers and workers must pay higher premiums, deductions rise in the new year from 2 to 2.2 percent. Unemployed will have their part to accept cuts in April - again as a result of the Plebiscite.

Tax rebate for children

There is relief in taxes, but they unfold in 2012 effect when the tax return is due for the year 2011. Parents will benefit: You will enjoy a new tax rebate of 250 Swiss francs per child. For child care can deduct up to
10 000 francs.

Donations to political parties pay off - at least tax-technical - in future, anyone who supports a party may deduct up to 10 new 000 francs from direct federal tax. Moreover, the impact of cold progression are compensated annually, resulting in higher deductions.

Minimum wage for domestic workers

Employees who work less with age or stay on the contrary, even after retirement do professionally active can benefit from improvements in the pension fund. For example, it is possible, until the age of 70 age pay annual contributions to the pension fund.

Domestic workers now receive at least 18 francs and 20 centimes per hour. For the first time since the introduction of accompanying measures, the Federal Council has adopted the standard employment contract for a minimum wage industry.

More publicity on SF

The audience of the Swiss television has indeed no higher fees, but suffer more advertising. The SRG SSR idée suisse may now 15 instead of the current 8 percent of air time filled with advertisements.

Outside of prime time, the SRG interrupt their broadcasts every 30 minutes for advertising during prime time than every 90 minutes. The bill of costs is also not quarterly, but sent only once a year.

Fight against sham marriages

A stricter regime will apply from the new year for those wishing to marry without a Swiss passport: wedding offices will only marry couples whom have the right to stay in Switzerland. Those who are illegally residing in Switzerland, can no longer justify their stay through marriage.

Facilitation on the other hand for foreigners in a Swiss university degree view. You have more time to find a job. For a period of six months, they receive a temporary residence permit.

Uniform law enforcement

New rules are also in law enforcement: The Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure, which replaces the cantonal regulations which are crimes in the future in Switzerland followed by the same procedural rules and judges.

The Federal Examining Magistrate's Office is transferred to the new prudential standing under federal prosecutor. And patent disputes, the Federal Patent Court has jurisdiction, which takes up its work in 2011.

New care financing

In force also enters the new care financing. This determines how much the health insurance must pay for what care needs. The unpaid costs must participate in the patient - those in the nursing home with up to 7884 francs a year, those staying in their own home with up to 5822 francs.

The revised Water Protection Act to rivers, streams and lake shores again be close to nature. The reason for the revision was an initiative that has since been withdrawn. The Fisheries Association called for the restoration of the waters because the fish goes back more and more.

Lemons, horses, locusts

Strenger will eventually be regulated the importation of plants, the carriers of harmful organisms. This applies to citrus fruits. Not everything can be imported citrus plants.

Who is longer than seven days in Swiss horses present in the EU, needs to return a new official veterinary certificate. This is for locusts, which are to be fed to reptiles, no import permit longer necessary. This also follows from one of the Regulations, which shall enter into force in January

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Looks like this year also sees a reduction on the MP3 tax by Suisa.

Article in DE ( crude translation to EN )

But Smartphone owners might need to pay.

Background in this thread resulting from a Federal Court decision in 2007.

About " And to boost employment, several initiatives will provide for the assets of people aged 58-70 who continue working."

I had a search around in the various links posted but could not find anything on this topic
Could you give me a link or a tip about which heading to look under?

Thanks in advance