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CRIME

Swiss killer hides body of victim in Zurich home

Police are investigating the murder of a young Polish nightclub dancer whose body was found hidden in the apartment of a 47-year-old Zurich man.

Published: 25 September 2014 13:09 CEST
Swiss killer hides body of victim in Zurich home
The victim worked as a nightclub dancer in Zurich. Photo: Russ Bowling.

The Swiss man admitted to killing the 25-year-old Pole in a Zurich hotel last week before bringing her body back to his flat, where he was confronted and arrested by police on Wednesday, reports news agency ATS.

The victim, a Polish woman who was working as a dancer in a Zurich nightclub, had been due to return to Poland last week, cantonal police said in a statement on Thursday.

When she failed to arrive, she was reported missing to the Polish authorities, who asked Zurich police for help in finding her.

Officers traced the man to his apartment thanks to the guest registration form of a Zurich hotel where the man and his victim spent the night of September 15th, shortly before she disappeared.

The circumstances surrounding the murder are not yet know.

This is the second murder case in Switzerland in the past week after the body of a 36-year-old Bulgarian prostitute was found in Lake Lucerne on Sunday.

Police in Basel are investigating the death of another woman whose body was pulled out of the Rhine near Basel on Wednesday afternoon.

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ZURICH

Zurich homeowners to pay significantly higher property taxes

Properties are more expensive in Zurich than almost anywhere else in Switzerland, but a planned new charge will place further financial burdens on the canton’s homeowners.

Published: 18 September 2024 10:50 CEST
Zurich homeowners to pay significantly higher property taxes

Because Zurich is re-evaluating all properties, homeowners will have to brace themselves for significantly higher tax bills from 2027, cantonal authorities announced onTuesday. 

This step was triggered by two court rulings, according to which many properties in the canton were undervalued. The last estimate took place in 2009, but real estate prices have soared by an estimated 50 percent since then.

Therefore, property tax values are to increase by an average of 48 percent, while  imputed rental values for single-family homes will rise by an average of 11 percent and for apartments by 10 percent.

With this measure, the canton and municipalities can expect additional income of 85 million each.

What is the imputed rental value?

It is a tax term used to describe the theoretical rental value that you would have to pay if you were renting your own property.

In Switzerland, this value is used to calculate taxes, even if you live in your own apartment or house and do not pay rent.

For owner-occupied apartments in the canton of Zurich, the imputed rental value is 4.25 percent of the tax value. For single-family homes, it is 3.5 percent.

Authorities get ready for more ‘hardship’ cases

As a result of this tax hike, a larger number of hardship cases — that is, people who won’t be able to afford higher property taxes — the cantonal government is calling for the introduction of a ‘hardship regulation.’

Under this measure, a tax charge on the imputed rental value should be anchored in the law if it leads to an excessive tax burden in relation to the household income and assets.

The current cantonal hardship regulation serves as a transitional solution, which is in effect until legal basis is enacted at a federal level.

READ ALSO: How fast are property prices rising in Zurich in 2024? 

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