Physical Facts
Population:	7,581,520 (July 2008 est.)
Location:	Central Europe, bordered on the west by France, on the north by Germany, on the east by Austria and the principality of Liechtenstein, and on the south by Italy.
Area:	41,290 sq km
Climate:	Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Transport	Air, Road, Rail, Waterways
International Direct Dialling prefix:	41
Internet Country Code	.ch
Time difference on GMT:	+ 1

Administrative Facts:
Status:	A confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic
Government:	Switzerland is a federal state with 23 sovereign cantons and 3 semi-cantons (making 26 cantons in all).
Legal System:	Legislative power rests with the bicameral Federal Assembly comprising both a National Council consisting of 200 deputies elected every 4 years by a system of proportional representation. and the Council of States in which each canton is represented by 2 deputies. Ordinary civil and criminal trials are carried out by the magistrates in each canton.. Ultimate judicial power is vested in the Federal Supreme Court based in Lausanne. The Federal Supreme Court judges are elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly.
International Court Jurisdiction:	Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Language:	German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages
Education system:	Decentralized education system. Decisions on the running of schools are taken at cantonal level who also provide the bulk of the financing. Education is compulsory from age 6 – 16. Post 16 education prepares students with vocational training for entry to the labour market or for tertiary education. There are 5 universities in the German-speaking part of Switzerland (Basel, Bern, Zurich, Lucerne, St Gallen), and 3 in the French-speaking part (Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel). In addition there are the The Federal Institutes of Technology are in Zurich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL).
UK Embassy:	16-18 Montagu Place, London, W1H 2BQ. Tel: 020 7616 6000 Fax: 020 7724 7001
Residency/Working Requirements:	Citizens of EU countries have the right to work and reside in Switzerland. Citizens of non EU countries would be required to obtain a work permit - these can only be applied for by the employer and they need to show that they have ben unable to locate an EU citizen to fill the role. For further information please contact the Swiss Federal Aliens Office.

Fiscal Facts
Legal tender & currency:	Swiss francs (CHF)
VAT:	7.6% standard rate 2..4% reduced rate (e.g. books, medicine) 3.6% lodging services
Sales Tax:
Import duty:
Export duty:
Banking:	Universal banking system. The system is diverse and the bank groups now fully or partially fall into specialised groups:- The "big" banks The two "big" banks - UBS AG and the Credit Suisse Group - together account for over 50% of the balance sheet total of all banks in Switzerland. Cantonal banks There are 24 Cantonal banks which are semi-governmental organizations with a state guarantee. Liberalization is currently underway with respect to the state guarantee. Their objective, according to cantonal law, is to promote the canton's economy. Field of activity: engaged in all banking businesses; emphasis on lending/deposit business. Regional banks and savings banks Smaller universal banks with an emphasis on lending/deposit business. These banks voluntarily restrict their activities to one region. Raiffeisen Group The bank group is structured as a cooperative and is a retail bank. Private banks These are individually owned firms, collective and limited partnerships. Private bankers are subject to unlimited subsidiary liability with their personal assets. Field of activity: asset management, chiefly for private clients; as a rule, private banks do not publicly offer to accept savings deposits. Foreign banks Foreign-control means that over half of the company's votes are held by foreigners with qualified interests. Origin of banks: Europe, predominantly EU (over 50%), Japan (around 20%).
Annual Government Revenue:	$173.6 billion
Annual Government Expenditure:	$168.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP:	US $415516 million (world bank 2007)
Minimum wage:	None; however, a majority of the voluntary collective bargaining agreements contain clauses on minimum compensation, ranging from 2,200 to 4,200 francs per month for unskilled workers and from 2,800 to 5,300 francs per month for skilled employees
Financial Services Regulation:	Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority
Financial Services Regulation Contact Details:	Tel: (41 31) 327 91 00 Fax: (41 31) 327 91 01 Emailinfo@finma.ch

Tax Facts
General:	Double taxation treaties with approximately 70 different countries Albania Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Belarus Bulgaria Canada China Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Egypt Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malaysia Mexico Moldova Netherlands New Zealand Norway Pakistan Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Tajikistan Thailand Trinidad & Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Ukraine United Kingdom United States Uzbekistan Venezuela
Corporate Tax:	Resident companies are assessed on their worldwide income except for profits generated by enterprises, permanent establishments and real estate situated abroad. Non-resident companies are only assessed on profit generated by enterprises, real estate and permanent establishments situated in Switzerland as well as interest on loans secured on Swiss real estate. A company is deemed resident in Switzerland if it is either incorporated in Switzerland or effectively managed from there. For example a UK-registered company whose effective seat of management is in Switzerland is a Swiss resident company for corporate income tax purposes. Corporate income tax is levied at federal, cantonal and municipal levels. The federal corporate income tax rate is a flat 8.5%. Cantonal tax rates can be levied at rates of up to 25% and like the federal tax are progressive, using a scale based on the relationship of profits to net worth. The average cantonal tax rate is approximately 22%. Municipal tax on corporate income is calculated as a small proportion of cantonal tax.
Individual – resident:	'Fiscal Deal' Permit for wealthy individuals who wish to live in Switzerland from income derived outside of Switzerland must prove a net worth of 2 million Swiss Francs and spend at least 180 days in Switzerland. You can lock-in a maximum capped level with the local Canton, which is negotiated and will depend upon circumstances. The ‘Wealth Tax’ involves paying about 1.5% per annum of personal assets in Switzerland. The rate varies from Canton to Canton though but it tends to be around 1.5%
Individual – non-resident:	Non-resident taxpayers may be subject to Swiss taxes only with respect to income from certain Swiss sources. In general, Swiss income tax rates are progressive.

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