New regulations have been announced concerning the amount of merchandise that you can bring over the border from France into Switzerland.
From 1July, anyone traveling through customs, will be able to bring up to Fr. 300.- of goods per day for their own personal consumption, or as a gift to someone else, duty free. Any goods over this amount will be subject to 8% TVA, or 2.5% TVA for goods such as books and non-alcoholic drinks.
As before, there will also be limits on the quantity of goods brought through customs. However, there are some changes. Notably you can bring:
- 1kg of meat (Includes meat and meat products derived from all animal species, excluding wild animals, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.)
- 1 kg/l or butter and cream
- 5kg/l or oils, fats and margarine
- 5l of alcoholic drinks up to 18% volume (Min age 17)
- 1l of alcoholic drinks over 18% volume (Min age 17)
- 250 cigarettes / cigars (Min age 17)
- 250g of other manufactured tobacco (Min age 17)
The following taxes will apply to any goods, which exceed the limits above:
- Meat: Fr. 17.- per kg
- Butter and cream: Fr. 16.- per kg/l
- Oils, fats, and margarine: Fr. 2.- per kg/l
- Alcoholic drinks up to 18% volume: Fr. 2.- per l
- Alcoholic drinks over 18% volume: Fr. 15.- per l
- Cigarettes or cigars: Fr. 0.25 per item
- Other manufactured tobacco: Fr. 0.10 per g
It is worth noting that there are no longer any limits on the amount of milk, eggs or cut flowers you bring over the border. However, there is a change in the amount of meat you can bring as this has now all been grouped together under one category, with a total limit of 1kg.
Photo credit: Olivier Evard
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A new dry cleaning service has been launched in the Lake Geneva region, which aims to fit in with the hectic lifestyles of its clients.
Called “On My Way”, the new service allows clients to register their garments for cleaning online, and then drop them off at any of their 20 partner service stations, conveniently situated on motorway routes and in towns and cities in the Lake Geneva region.
The pioneering “On My Way" concept is the brainchild of long-standing friends, Cédric Rimella and Carlos Serrano, who recognized the need to simplify people’s lives by giving them access to an easy and efficient, high quality dry cleaning service on their daily commutes.
From 23 to 25 May, 2014, the luxurious five-star Hotel d’Angleterre in Geneva will host the renowned Paris-based photography studio, Harcourt. During this time, the public will have the opportunity to reserve an unforgettable one-hour photo shoot with makeup professionally applied beforehand, or simply come by and see an exposition of the studio's most famous portraits.
Best known for their famous black and white cinema portraits for the Cannes Film Festival, Harcourt is one of the most renowned photographic studios today. Their photos are particularly distinguished by an inimitable use of lighting, which brings out each person’s individual and natural glow. The Studio Harcourt's professionalism and unique know-how have sustained their world-wide reputation since 1934.
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Current research indicates that introducing young children to puzzles at an early age can help them develop problem solving, mathematical, spatial and social skills. An early start can apparently also help in keeping Alzheimer’s at bay as you get older.
It is for these reasons, that local mom, Chandana Sen, started buying puzzles for her own son when he was about 9 months old. She told knowitall.ch, “I used to source jigsaws as well as educational board games in English for my son from outside Switzerland as I could not find anything suitable or attractively priced here. Other parents also started showing interest in my son’s puzzles and, within a short period of time, I realized the potential for starting my own online business, www.puzzleyoga.com, selling puzzles in this country!”
Chandana sells puzzles for toddlers, kids, teenagers and adults. She defines puzzles as anything that intrigues the mind, so she stocks anything from walking penguins with flapping feet for a toddler, through to jigsaw puzzles for preschoolers and above, wooden 3D puzzles for the 7 year old, creativity kits and acrylic 3D jigsaw puzzles for preteens, and the tough Hanayama metal puzzles for teenagers and adults.
In case some of you missed the news towards the end of last year, Swiss Post has launched a new SMS postage stamp service to allow customers to purchase stamps on their phone. The new service will run initially as a one-year pilot project, during which Swiss Post will test its acceptance amongst customers.
Available for domestic A mail items up to B5 format (25cm x 17.6 cm), weighing up to 100g and measuring no more than 2cm thick, the service works simply by sending the keyword “STAMP” via SMS to the number “414”. A code is then sent to the customer’s phone, which should then be written in the top right-hand corner of the envelope, before posting it in a letter box. The code is valid for ten days and may be used once only. It may also be requested via the Swiss Post smartphone apps for Android or iPhone.The fixed cost of franking, including the text message is set at CHF 1.20 including VAT, regardless of the subscription contract.
