Hi,
What you're trying to say is that although they may chip in loads for lottery Its no indication of how generous theyd be if it were a charity right?
3day

Go to the Zurich Goldküste or go out in Zurich on a Saturday night - you find that here too (I would even say more so than in America - most Americans I've met don't fit your description). I once read an article in a Swiss magazine about rich kids in Zurich - they interviewed a 17 or 18 year old who would only wear taylor made suits (which he would buy in London or NYC), but claimed that the rarely wore the same suit more than two or three times before giving it away. The Switzerland you describe was 15 or 20 years ago - now there're just too many people who have more money than they could ever spend without ever having achieved anything in the lives (apart from inheriting).

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I don't think that paying discipline is a significant factor in the increasing premiums.

According to Swiss law, relatives of the direct blood line (parents - children - grandchildren) can be hold liable financially. It's an old law from 1912 and used inconsistently among the cantons and even municipalities.

Did anyone post this already?

http://www.revue.ch/en/archives/2008...rmundreich.pdf

I was talking to a Swiss friend of mine about this & one of the things she told me was that a lot of Swiss families would like to visit Jungfrau but hadn't as it was too expensive.

Here is an interesting article especially for those that think every other Swiss person owns one of those many luxury cars you see on the roads.

I think you are confusing poverty with being unwilling or unable to to afford luxuries. I would think twice before taking our family up the Jungfrau because it is such an extortionate amount but we are by no means in poverty.

Poverty, at least as it is described in your link, reports on people affected by much more basic needs than luxury cars and day trips.

I agree - I don't even own a Rolex

Actually, as soon as you step away from the money enclaves it becomes pretty apparent that not everyone in Switzerland is swimming in a big vat of cash. The rural regions and those area where a large number of people are still involved in farming still experience "poverty".

However "Swiss Poverty" is still a long way off "poverty" in many other developed countries.

Most Swiss people rent their entire lives.... not everyone owns a big house and a fancy car!

I'm not sure about that, many Swiss 'money enclave' dwellers have problems keeping up with their bills. In some cases it is impossible to know anything about this as it is a taboo subject with the Swiss themselves.

I do know however that many Swiss here have struggled & are struggling to pay their health insurance especially with the recent increases.

I'm interested in what is defined as the poverty line.

I lived well below the poverty line in Canada, but that was rather a result of the definition, I was totally happy with my lifestyle.

I know - my Wednesday Patek broke and I've been wearing my Tuesday Patek for both days for over a month now

Sucks to be Swiss Poor.

This has been discussed before: Poverty in Switzerland

OECD (the source mentioned in the link above) has stats available for a "poverty threshold" of 40%, 50% or 60% of median income, calculated either before or after tax/benefits (be sure to choose "Switzerland" from the dropdown):
http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?Que...QueryType=View

I think the figure for 40% after tax/benefits is the one usually cited but not completely sure.

EDIT: good catch, Lou! I've merged the threads.

An average Swiss owns 163000 CHF.

http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/wirtsc..._1.587241.html

That is not enought for the "house at the lake" our OP chose as nickname. But it is far from poverty... this average means that there are probably more than half of the population below this number as I would expect a relatively small number of extremely rich to drive the average up. So what happens with the really really rock bottom of Switzerland? They get Sozialhilfe - that is not the money you get from the RAV, but the lower amounts long term unemployed get. How much? Here is an indication: The article is on a Mazedonian lady with two kids. She married in her home ocuntry and since she lives on social insurances for more than five years, he husband did not get a residence permit.
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/...story/26020771


The article mentions what she got: Within four years, she received over 200k CHF in help, so above 50k a year. Sure - this is not a lot for a family of three. A trip on the Jungfrau would be a luxury I would not pay if that was my budget. But I would not call this poverty: Not only looking at really poor countries, but only the neighbouring, developed, central European countries: This is a seriously fair amount of social help in my book...

I have lived here 2 decades, all the time earning well over twice the medium income, and I have NEVER been to the Jungfraujoch - I refuse to pay the exorbitant price, and am happy to spend holidays in the Jungfrau region without having to visit the world's highest tourist trap.

You can borrow one of my Meteoris turbillon, if you like - they're kicking about in the kitchen drawer, or maybe down the back of the Veyron's seat.

Anyway, just help yourself...


Indeed - give me cholera and starvation over sniffles and fondue any day

Can I survive on 150k in Switzerland?

What is "k" ? Don't you find the wage earning classes tend to stink of paper and ink?

When I was a lad we'd get Cholera for dinner - if we were lucky

Totally agree with this--poverty exists in Switzerland if you bother to look closely; some stats (in German) I found useful from Caritas here. Also agree that poverty here looks much different than in other countries, though I'm sure it's still pretty unpleasant if you're trying to raise a family living on income below the povery line.

Poverty is a stigma is lots of places, not just in Switzerland...

Switzerland being typically efficient, most cantons will make up for the shortfall if you cannot afford your health insurance.