2023-12-20 23:30:24
21.12.2023 – 00:30
comparis.ch AG
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Press release
What changes in 2024: Comparis summary
Increase in VAT, higher prices for medicines and increase in postal rates: 2024 will cost more
For Swiss consumers, certain spending items will cost more in 2024. Comparis takes an overview of the main changes. “Most of these changes will result in additional expenses,” says Michael Kuhn, Argent Comparis expert. The one affecting health insurance is radical: those who continue to opt for expensive original preparations rather than generics will have to free themselves from a co-payment set at 40%, instead of the current 20%. “This measure penalizes insured people. The increase in the co-payment shifts the responsibility from doctors, pharmacists and health insurers to the insured people,” explains Felix Schneuwly, Comparis health insurance expert.
Zurich, December 21, 2023 – New year, new rules, new costs. For Switzerland, the year 2024 will be marked by rising prices. “Most of these changes will result in additional expenses,” says Michael Kuhn, Argent Comparis expert. From January 1, 2024, for example, VAT rates will increase. And mail shipping rates will also be revised upwards, just one year following the last increase.
Comparis offers a non-exhaustive thematic summary of the main changes announced for 2024.
Consumption – what will increase
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Value-added tax: Value-added tax will increase – with the blessing of the Swiss people. At the end of summer 2022, as part of the AVS reform, the population approved the increase, from January 1, 2024, in the general consumption tax. Normal rate: 8.1% (instead of 7.7%) Reduced rate: 2.6% (instead of 2.5%) Special rate on accommodation services: 3.8% (instead of 3 .7%) “On an item purchased for 10 francs subject to the standard rate, this increase of 0.4 percentage points only represents an increase of around 4 cents. However, on a family scale, several hundred francs of additional costs accumulate over the entire year,” says Michael Kuhn, Argent Comparis expert. According to him, the question of how quickly consumers will feel the impact of this increase in their budget remains open. Some traders have announced that they will not pass on the VAT increase to customers for the moment.
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Postal rates: sending letters will cost more. After having already tightened the price screws in January 2022, La Poste is doing it once more. A standard letter from Courrier A will cost 1.20 francs instead of 1.10 francs. The Mail B letter will go from 90 centimes to one franc. Parcel shipping will also be charged more: an Economy parcel weighing two kilos or less will cost 8.50 francs, compared to 7 francs until now. Faster delivery as part of a Priority package will cost 10.50 francs, compared to 9 francs until now. However, people who order shipping labels with barcode (numbered 99.01) online via My Post Service receive a discount of 1.50 francs. “The increase in La Poste prices often arouses discontent among the population. With these measures, La Poste is also reacting to the decline in the volume of letters for years,” explains Mr. Kuhn.
Consumption – what will change
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Reduced taxes on sanitary napkins and tampons: from 2024, feminine hygiene items will be subject to the reduced VAT rate of 2.6% applied to everyday consumer items. Until now, hygiene items were taxed at the standard rate of 7.7%, hence the term “pink tax” recently appeared. For a pack of tampons sold for five francs, VAT currently amounts to around 35 cents. With the rate cut, it will only stand at around 12 cents. In this example, the revision of the law should therefore reduce the retail price by 20 to 25 cents. “It remains to be seen whether all traders, particularly the smallest, will pass on this tax reduction in full. The risk is that some of them will take advantage of this to improve their own margins a little,” explains Mr. Kuhn.
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Postal rates: the weight of the Midilettre (up to B5 format) will be capped at 500 grams and no longer at 250 grams. Also, B5 shipments of more than 250 grams will be cheaper.
Health insurance – what will increase
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Increase in the co-pay: from the new year, those who continue to opt for original preparations rather than generics or biosimilars will have to pay a 40% co-pay on said preparations instead. 20% currently. With this measure, the Confederation intends to encourage the use of generics or biosimilars and intends to save up to 250 million francs per year. Biosimilars are copies that are very similar to the original biologic products. This new franchise will not apply in the event of a supply shortage and when significant medical reasons justify the use of the original preparation. “For insured people, it is therefore a question of always asking for the applicable excess when prescribing a medication by their doctor and when dispensing it in a pharmacy. When the increased co-payment appears on the bill, it is too late,” says Felix Schneuwly, Comparis health insurance expert. According to him, the increase in the co-pay shifts the responsibility from doctors, pharmacists and health insurers to the insured people.
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Increase in prices of cheap medicines: not only is the Confederation reducing the supplement relating to the price of doctors and pharmacies, from 12% to 6%, but it is also adjusting the margin per package. Its objective: to reduce the incentive for medical practices and pharmacies to prescribe original, more expensive preparations to the detriment of generics. From July 2024, a distribution margin of 9 francs will apply to medicines whose factory price is less than or equal to 7.99 francs. For medicines priced between 8 and 4720.99 francs, the distribution margin will be 16 francs, and from 4721 francs, 300 francs. According to the Confederation, these adaptations should reduce the price of around 64% of the preparations appearing on the list of specialties (LS), which determines the reimbursement of health insurers, and increase the cost of 36% of them. This list from the FOPH lists the medications that must be reimbursed by basic insurance. “With this new regulation of margins, cheap drugs become more expensive, and the most expensive, cheaper. Insured people who, due to a high deductible, already pay more than others will be even more impacted,” explains Felix Schneuwly, health insurance expert at Comparis.
Health insurance – what will change
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Minors will no longer be prosecuted: from 2024, minors can no longer be prosecuted for premiums not paid by their parents. Young policyholders will no longer be considered as defaulters for premiums that should have been paid before their 18th birthday and will no longer be prosecuted on this basis.
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Maximum amount of reminder taxes: people who do not pay their health insurance costs or who do so very late are exposed to the application of default interest of 5% in addition to the reminder costs. Insurers can set the amount in their general conditions, but they must respect the ceiling set by the Federal Council – which has not yet defined it.
Mobility – what will increase
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The electric car: until now, electric cars were exempt from motor vehicle tax. An advantage which will end on January 1, 2024, due to the Confederation’s shortfall due to the increase in the market share of electric cars. In the same way as thermal vehicles, electric vehicles will be subject to a tax of 4% on the import price. “This new tax will have a direct impact on retail prices,” explains S. Spaeth. Concretely, an electric car sold until now for 50,000 francs should cost around 2,000 francs more, according to the expert.
Mobility – what will change
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Digital motorway sticker: the motorway sticker is now also available in digital form and can be purchased on the site www.e-vignette.ch. It is connected to the control plate during the command. Like the traditional adhesive sticker, the electronic sticker for year N is valid from December 1 of year N-1 to January 31 of year N+1. The adhesive sticker remains available. In both cases, its cost is 40 francs. “The electronic sticker is practical because it avoids the tedious step of taking it off,” says Sandro Spaeth, Comparis Mobility expert. It also represents an advantage for people with interchangeable plates or those who buy a car during the year. The new offer has already attracted the attention of dealers: “Be wary of stores that sell the sticker on the Internet for a surcharge and charge for an unnecessary service,” warns S. Spaeth.
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Half Fare Plus – discount on the train journey: people who often travel by public transport, but not enough for a General Pass (GA) to be profitable, now have a third way with the Half Fare Plus Pass with to have. Available since December 9, 2023, it is available in three options: Subscriptions for adults: Half-fare plus 1000: payment of 800 francs, credit of 1000 francs Half-fare plus 2000: payment of 1500 francs, credit of 2000 francs Half-fare fare plus 3000: payment of 2100 francs, credit of 3000 francs Subscriptions for those under 25: Half-fare younger 1000: payment of 600 francs, credit of 1000 francs Half-fare Younger 2000: payment of 1125 francs, credit of 2000 francs Younger half-fare 3000: payment of 1575 francs, credit of 3000 francs “This subscription with credit is attractive and risk-free. It is particularly suitable for people who travel often, or for those who go to work or vocational school, for example, twice a week,” explains S. Spaeth. At maturity, any remaining assets are repaid up to the basic amount paid. However, the bonus is lost. The half-fare subscription is not included in the subscription price and must be purchased additionally.
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Fast e-bikes must be equipped with a speedometer: in fact, the speedometer is standard on most fast e-bikes (up to 45 km/h). The change concerns the adaptation of the rules of the Federal Roads Office: following April 1, 2024, fast e-bikes can only be put into circulation for the first time with a speedometer. Those already in circulation must be equipped with them by April 1, 2027.
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No more blue driving license: originally, the deadline was set at the end of January 2024, but it was pushed back to October 31, 2024. By then, the blue paper driving license must have been exchanged for a credit card format license. Any person who evades this obligation risks a fine of 20 francs in the event of a police check.
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Extension of the duration of driving exams: the practical exam for car or motorcycle license candidates will be extended. From March 1, 2024, for category A (motorcycles) and B (passenger cars) exams, you will have to spend 45 minutes driving on public roads. As a result, the duration of the practical test for candidates for a motorcyclist license will be 60 minutes instead of 30 until now.
Digital – what will change
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Online giants will have to open up their systems: the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) are due to come into force in the EU on March 6, 2024. From this date, large technology companies will not be no longer authorized to favor their own offers. This will make it easier for other technology companies and start-ups to offer services that fall within the scope of those that these online giants make available. The new legislation applies to around twenty digital groups that the EU has described as “gatekeepers” (“access controllers” in French). Although this law does not directly concern Switzerland since it targets EU member countries, it has repercussions on its population: “The adaptations decided by the EU are also implemented in Switzerland, because large companies technological companies are also deploying their solutions for Europe there,” declares Jean-Claude Frick, Comparis Digital expert. According to him, iPhone users will then be able to install applications without going through the App Store, and WhatsApp will have to allow communication with other messaging services. “In addition, Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok will have to provide more precise information regarding the data they collect,” continues J.-C. Frick.
Finance and pension provision – what will change
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Raising the retirement age for women: following the “AVS 21” reform adopted by the people in 2022, the reference age for women will be raised from January 1, 2024. Thus, women will retire at retirement one year later than before, that is to say at age 65. A gradual increase will apply to women close to retirement age.
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Smooth transition to retirement: from the start of 2024, all insured people will be able to plan their transition from working life to retirement more flexibly. All pension funds are required to allow them to take early retirement from the age of 63. As has been the case until now, retirement can be deferred until the age of 70, provided that the person continues to work. In addition, all insured persons have the right to receive a partial pension from the pension fund. From 58 to 70 years old, old age benefits can be received in installments.
- Increase in the minimum interest rate for the LPP: on January 1, 2024, the Federal Council will increase the minimum interest rate for occupational pensions (LPP) by 0.25 percentage points, bringing it to 1.25%. This minimum rate determines the minimum remuneration to which savers are entitled in respect of their assets covered by the compulsory occupational pension scheme. This increase is explained by the general increase in interest rates.
Food – what will change
- Declaration obligation applicable to croissants etc. : consumers must be able to find out regarding the country of production of bread, croissants and other pastries. This is why new rules will apply in food law from February 1, 2024. Thus, Swiss points of sale will have to declare in writing the origin of bakery products when selling in bulk.
For more information:
Sandro Spaeth Spokesperson Telephone: 044 360 34 32 E-Mail: [email protected] comparis.ch
About comparis.ch
With more than 80 million visits per year, comparis.ch is one of the most visited websites in Switzerland. The company compares the prices and services of health funds, insurance companies, banks and telecom operators. It also presents the largest online offering in Switzerland for automobiles and real estate. With its detailed comparisons and in-depth analyses, it contributes to more transparency in the market. comparis.ch thus strengthens the expertise of consumers in decision-making. The company was founded in 1996 by economist Richard Eisler.
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