This is how things work in Switzerland ..

Yes. Narendra Modi Government has to abide by the poll promises made after it came to power with regards to Black money stashed in Swiss Banks by Indians. A 90 days Black money window announced last year proved to be a failure. No wonder, the Director of Grand Hyatt for his surprise over the excess freedom in India. Coming back to the subject , yes,Switzerland is a good holiday haven. Thanks for sharing your experiences in Switzerland.

MG Singh wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I may further add , not just rights but responsibilities too that come with the rights ...The Swiss are a very aware lot because of this responsibility given to them to be a part of decision making that becomes the law of the land!

All this can be done in a tiny country like Switzerland. Its population is not even 30% of Mumbai. people are talking of following the example of this nation. There is no comparison it is more like a city-state( Athens and Sparta).Again its prosperity is due to trillions of dollars being parked in their  banks as per state policy. These are secret accounts. Does India want to follow this? If we follow , I am sure we will be richer than Switzerland. The cold and snow are terrible. India's Gulmarg where I have been half a dozen time is much better.

I totally agree with you that the population of Switzerland is very small compared to even other European nations. Most of the population is concentrated in major cities like Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Winterthur etc..And even then Zurich has less than a million people . In the village where my daughter lives the population is less than 2,000 and everyone knows everyone ! This fact gives them the advantage of being able to implement law and discipline effectively !

As far as banking is concerned, there are corporate and family owned banks which in fact have most of the secret bank accounts. According to one of our family friends who works for Deutsche Bank, there have been a lot of reforms taking place with accounts being made transparent. However, it is definitely not the major source of income for Switzerland since they have many industries that are top class , like Swiss watches ( Tissot, Longines., Omega, Rolex, Hublot, Rado, Piaget to name a few )  Swiss Chocolates  and Cheese, which are again probably the best in the world and of course pharmaceuticals . Their medical care and hospitals are the best and of course they have huge revenue coming in from tourism. 

usha manohar wrote:

MG Singh wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I may further add , not just rights but responsibilities too that come with the rights ...The Swiss are a very aware lot because of this responsibility given to them to be a part of decision making that becomes the law of the land!

All this can be done in a tiny country like Switzerland. Its population is not even 30% of Mumbai. people are talking of following the example of this nation. There is no comparison it is more like a city-state( Athens and Sparta).Again its prosperity is due to trillions of dollars being parked in their  banks as per state policy. These are secret accounts. Does India want to follow this? If we follow , I am sure we will be richer than Switzerland. The cold and snow are terrible. India's Gulmarg where I have been half a dozen time is much better.

I totally agree with you that the population of Switzerland is very small compared to even other European nations. Most of the population is concentrated in major cities like Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Winterthur etc..And even then Zurich has less than a million people . In the village where my daughter lives the population is less than 2,000 and everyone knows everyone ! This fact gives them the advantage of being able to implement law and discipline effectively !

As far as banking is concerned, there are corporate and family owned banks which in fact have most of the secret bank accounts. According to one of our family friends who works for Deutsche Bank, there have been a lot of reforms taking place with accounts being made transparent. However, it is definitely not the major source of income for Switzerland since they have many industries that are top class , like Swiss watches ( Tissot, Longines., Omega, Rolex, Hublot, Rado, Piaget to name a few )  Swiss Chocolates  and Cheese, which are again probably the best in the world and of course pharmaceuticals . Their medical care and hospitals are the best and of course they have huge revenue coming in from tourism. 

True...Switzerland does not survive only on banks but they are manufacturers of world class watches, chocolates, cheeses etc. And my point is, give credit where it is due. They may be a haven for hiding money for people from all over the world but they are not causing any kind of harm to any one or their own people. Blame it on those who take money away from their own countries. Swiss are the most polite, friendly and honest people with more integrity than most of the world combined.

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

MG Singh wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I may further add , not just rights but responsibilities too that come with the rights ...The Swiss are a very aware lot because of this responsibility given to them to be a part of decision making that becomes the law of the land!

All this can be done in a tiny country like Switzerland. Its population is not even 30% of Mumbai. people are talking of following the example of this nation. There is no comparison it is more like a city-state( Athens and Sparta).Again its prosperity is due to trillions of dollars being parked in their  banks as per state policy. These are secret accounts. Does India want to follow this? If we follow , I am sure we will be richer than Switzerland. The cold and snow are terrible. India's Gulmarg where I have been half a dozen time is much better.

I totally agree with you that the population of Switzerland is very small compared to even other European nations. Most of the population is concentrated in major cities like Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Winterthur etc..And even then Zurich has less than a million people . In the village where my daughter lives the population is less than 2,000 and everyone knows everyone ! This fact gives them the advantage of being able to implement law and discipline effectively !

As far as banking is concerned, there are corporate and family owned banks which in fact have most of the secret bank accounts. According to one of our family friends who works for Deutsche Bank, there have been a lot of reforms taking place with accounts being made transparent. However, it is definitely not the major source of income for Switzerland since they have many industries that are top class , like Swiss watches ( Tissot, Longines., Omega, Rolex, Hublot, Rado, Piaget to name a few )  Swiss Chocolates  and Cheese, which are again probably the best in the world and of course pharmaceuticals . Their medical care and hospitals are the best and of course they have huge revenue coming in from tourism. 

True...Switzerland does not survive only on banks but they are manufacturers of world class watches, chocolates, cheeses etc. And my point is, give credit where it is due. They may be a haven for hiding money for people from all over the world but they are not causing any kind of harm to any one or their own people. Blame it on those who take money away from their own countries. Swiss are the most polite, friendly and honest people with more integrity than most of the world combined.

That is true Kalyani, inspite of the adverse weather conditions, since it is cold and wet most days close to the mountains , you see the Swiss are out in the open carrying on with their daily routine and probably hardy and very fit because of that. As far as banking goes it was apparently thrust on them by Hitler and his aides who were in control of Switzerland , Austria and most of Europe . The tradition of keeping gold and important documents in huge vaults started then and continues although now they have become very conscious of world opinion and have been opening up the accounts and account holders names. But the family owned banks are apparently resisting this , which is understandable !

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

MG Singh wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I may further add , not just rights but responsibilities too that come with the rights ...The Swiss are a very aware lot because of this responsibility given to them to be a part of decision making that becomes the law of the land!

All this can be done in a tiny country like Switzerland. Its population is not even 30% of Mumbai. people are talking of following the example of this nation. There is no comparison it is more like a city-state( Athens and Sparta).Again its prosperity is due to trillions of dollars being parked in their  banks as per state policy. These are secret accounts. Does India want to follow this? If we follow , I am sure we will be richer than Switzerland. The cold and snow are terrible. India's Gulmarg where I have been half a dozen time is much better.

I totally agree with you that the population of Switzerland is very small compared to even other European nations. Most of the population is concentrated in major cities like Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Winterthur etc..And even then Zurich has less than a million people . In the village where my daughter lives the population is less than 2,000 and everyone knows everyone ! This fact gives them the advantage of being able to implement law and discipline effectively !

As far as banking is concerned, there are corporate and family owned banks which in fact have most of the secret bank accounts. According to one of our family friends who works for Deutsche Bank, there have been a lot of reforms taking place with accounts being made transparent. However, it is definitely not the major source of income for Switzerland since they have many industries that are top class , like Swiss watches ( Tissot, Longines., Omega, Rolex, Hublot, Rado, Piaget to name a few )  Swiss Chocolates  and Cheese, which are again probably the best in the world and of course pharmaceuticals . Their medical care and hospitals are the best and of course they have huge revenue coming in from tourism. 

True...Switzerland does not survive only on banks but they are manufacturers of world class watches, chocolates, cheeses etc. And my point is, give credit where it is due. They may be a haven for hiding money for people from all over the world but they are not causing any kind of harm to any one or their own people. Blame it on those who take money away from their own countries. Swiss are the most polite, friendly and honest people with more integrity than most of the world combined.

Many people comment just for the heck of commenting like stating that Swiss economy is not dependent on banking and parking of funds. Here is what is written in Wikipedia "Switzerland a safe haven for investors, creating an economy that is increasingly dependent on a steady tide of foreign investment". What does it Mean?

@ MG ...I am quoting some paras from the same link you gave above ..

The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report currently ranks Switzerland's economy as the most competitive in the world,^[79] while ranked by the European Union as Europe's most innovative country.^[80] For much of the 20th century, Switzerland was the wealthiest country in Europe by a considerable margin (by GDP – per capita).^[81] In 2007 the gross median household income in Switzerland was an estimated 137,094 USD at Purchasing power parity while the median income was 95,824 USD.^[82] Switzerland also has one of the world's largest account balances as a percentage of GDP.

Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations. The largest Swiss companies by revenue are Glencore, Gunvor, Nestlé, Novartis,Hoffmann-La Roche, ABB, Mercuria Energy Group and Adecco.^[84] Also, notable are UBS AG, Zurich Financial Services, Credit Suisse, Barry Callebaut, Swiss Re, Tetra Pak, The Swatch Group and Swiss International Air Lines. Switzerland is ranked as having one of the most powerful economies in the world.^[81]

Switzerland's most important economic sector is manufacturing. Manufacturing consists largely of the production of specialist chemicals, health and pharmaceutical goods, scientific and precision measuring instruments and musical instruments. The largest exported goods are chemicals (34% of exported goods), machines/electronics (20.9%), and precision instruments/watches (16.9%).^[85] Exported services amount to a third of exports.^[85] The service sector – especially banking and insurance, tourism, and international organisations – is another important industry for Switzerland.

Around 3.8 million people work in Switzerland; about 25% of employees belonged to a trade union in 2004.^[86] Switzerland has a more flexible job market than neighbouring countries and the unemployment rate is very low. The unemployment rate increased from a low of 1.7% in June 2000 to a peak of 4.4% in December 2009.^[87] The unemployment rate is 3.2% in 2014.^[88] Population growth from net immigration is quite high, at 0.52% of population in 2004.^[85] The foreign citizen population was 21.8% in 2004,^[85] about the same as in Australia. GDP per hour worked is the world's 16th highest, at 49.46 international dollars in 2012.^[89]

The Engadin Valley. Tourism constitutes an important revenue for the less industrialised alpine regions.

Switzerland has an overwhelmingly private sector economy and low tax rates by Western World standards;overall taxation is one of the smallest of developed countries.

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

Really commendable and worth learning a few lessons from the Swiss! I would really like to live in such a beautiful country if given a chance!

yeah, there is no one in the world who don't want to live in a peaceful and secure environment, if i too get the chance i will surely live there, my whole left life.

MG Singh wrote:

Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

MG Singh wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I may further add , not just rights but responsibilities too that come with the rights ...The Swiss are a very aware lot because of this responsibility given to them to be a part of decision making that becomes the law of the land!

All this can be done in a tiny country like Switzerland. Its population is not even 30% of Mumbai. people are talking of following the example of this nation. There is no comparison it is more like a city-state( Athens and Sparta).Again its prosperity is due to trillions of dollars being parked in their  banks as per state policy. These are secret accounts. Does India want to follow this? If we follow , I am sure we will be richer than Switzerland. The cold and snow are terrible. India's Gulmarg where I have been half a dozen time is much better.

I totally agree with you that the population of Switzerland is very small compared to even other European nations. Most of the population is concentrated in major cities like Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Winterthur etc..And even then Zurich has less than a million people . In the village where my daughter lives the population is less than 2,000 and everyone knows everyone ! This fact gives them the advantage of being able to implement law and discipline effectively !

As far as banking is concerned, there are corporate and family owned banks which in fact have most of the secret bank accounts. According to one of our family friends who works for Deutsche Bank, there have been a lot of reforms taking place with accounts being made transparent. However, it is definitely not the major source of income for Switzerland since they have many industries that are top class , like Swiss watches ( Tissot, Longines., Omega, Rolex, Hublot, Rado, Piaget to name a few )  Swiss Chocolates  and Cheese, which are again probably the best in the world and of course pharmaceuticals . Their medical care and hospitals are the best and of course they have huge revenue coming in from tourism. 

True...Switzerland does not survive only on banks but they are manufacturers of world class watches, chocolates, cheeses etc. And my point is, give credit where it is due. They may be a haven for hiding money for people from all over the world but they are not causing any kind of harm to any one or their own people. Blame it on those who take money away from their own countries. Swiss are the most polite, friendly and honest people with more integrity than most of the world combined.

Many people comment just for the heck of commenting like stating that Swiss economy is not dependent on banking and parking of funds. Here is what is written in Wikipedia "Switzerland a safe haven for investors, creating an economy that is increasingly dependent on a steady tide of foreign investment". What does it Mean?

YOu might find it surprising but I can read and understand what I have read, before making my comment I did go through the trouble of finding out about the economy of Switzerland, Also I may add, that it has become rather fashionable to speak negatively about banking industry in Switzerland because it is linked with black money but more than that, there are also many who invest honest money in banks there and of course, you can read Usha's post to know more about its economy! ''

At least as far I am concerned, do not make the mistake of accusing me of 'commenting just for the heck of it'! Take the efforts to read more info because others too can read and grasp written info!

The pharma industry in Switzerland is a huge revenue generator.

I sincerely doubt a nation as caring of its citizens as Switzerland , which also has the lowest crime rate in the world would be so lax . They are very particular about keeping up their image and it is the most difficult country for any immigrants to get into. They are extremely strict with their immigration rules and even when they grant asylum , they make sure that the individuals are watched all the time. We have seen what has happened in France and other European countries where the asylum seekers have retaliated against the very country that has given them shelter !

MG Singh wrote:@ thank you Usha, but the main point raised by me is not answered. banking gives Switzerland trillions of dollars.

While it is true that Switzerland earns a lot through banking, it is not the main or the only source of income . I know this a little better than you since my daughter lives there with her husband who is a citizen and I have visited the place 5 times already . Apart from that a family friend is part of a banking organization in Bern and we discuss the ins and outs , that is as much as he can possibly reveal. Switzerland is into every kind of industry possible , so banking is just one source of its income .

The Swiss have used the black money of the world gainfully to develop lot many industries which are world class. This is their plus point and one has to give credit to them. Many brilliant ideas do not flourish in many countries including India for want of capital at right time and at affordable interest rates. I was told by my hosts in Switzerland that lot many Swiss citizens put their money in German banks because the Swiss do not pay interest. Looks funny. @Usha and @Kalyani are looking at the success side of their economy and rightly are finding it fantastic. MGSingh and me are looking at the developmental side and find illegal money has supported their economy considerably. The Swiss have skillfully   buttered their bread both sides.

Either way they have a model , extremely well developed country where the citizens are happy and their GDP is the highest , so what more does one want ? as far as illegal money is concerned I am told it is exaggerated to a great extent by the fiction writers ...there is much more of the Nazi wealth in South American countries and other tax havens like Cayman island than in Switzerland !

So means do not matter as far as the citizens and immigrants get a good  life to lead. Then why do you make so much fuss about Indians who also resort to corrupt means to improve their and friends and relatives life.

No point in comparing situations that cannot be compared ...So making an issue  about corruption in our country is bad precedence since it points fingers only in one direction..

vijay wrote:

The Swiss have used the black money of the world gainfully to develop lot many industries which are world class. This is their plus point and one has to give credit to them. Many brilliant ideas do not flourish in many countries including India for want of capital at right time and at affordable interest rates. I was told by my hosts in Switzerland that lot many Swiss citizens put their money in German banks because the Swiss do not pay interest. Looks funny. @Usha and @Kalyani are looking at the success side of their economy and rightly are finding it fantastic. MGSingh and me are looking at the developmental side and find illegal money has supported their economy considerably. The Swiss have skillfully   buttered their bread both sides.

yeah that's why the swiss bank account are so popular in INDIA, as it is made to keep black money 

It points out in one direction in Switzerland also but you chose to turn a blind eye for obvious reasons because for you success counts and not the means. Back home it reverses.

Obviously my way of looking is different to that of others , but I am.able to distinguish between right and wrong that for sure !

It is amazing to see the level of awareness among the citizens of Switzerland. Recently one fraction of the leaders wanted to implement a basic income to all its citizens whether they work or not amounting to $2500 . Since the law there is to have a public referendum where all the citizens vote before passing a law, this too was taken to the public. And the proposal was voted out because they want to earn their living rather than get freebies from the state !!! Honestly just imagine what would have happened back here ...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/002af908-2b16-11e6-a18d-a96ab29e3c95.html#axzz4AlhxnzDB