D Visa, L Permit Questions

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
21
Confucius probably has a saying for those who seek tax advice on public message boards ....

"2.6 Canada

Canadian social security pensions are subject to a maximum withholding tax of 15% in Canada for non-residents (Art. 18 No. 1 DBA-CAN in the version applicable as of January 1, 2012). Double taxation of social security pensions is avoided by taxing only 2/3 of the net amount of the pension (Art. 22 No. 2 lit. d. DBA-CAN). Earlier pensions are 100% taxable in Switzerland, whereby the Canadian withholding tax (previously 25%) is allowed for deduction as operational costs."

https://steuerbuch.so.ch/steuern/ein...ommen/29-nr-3/

22
No, no, no. CPP is taxed. I know because I did. The private pension is also taxed, even when it has tax-free status in Canada. Or so my current municipality said and did, while my previous one had another approach.

Mullhollander has it right regarding the taxation.

Meloncollie has it right regarding the different interpretation of the law - no two municipalities do the exact same thing, and even two bureaucrats in the same municipality may do things differently.

OP, best to talk directly with the tax office where you plan on living, and smooth out any tax issues from the beginning. Also, best is to stay under one year if that makes a difference (ask!).

For us - for less than one year stay (we ended up staying around 9 mo), the written agreement was that for such a short time, the tax be filled out separately: pay tax in CH on income earned in CH, and pay tax in Canada on income earned in Canada.

23
Great advice and, to be sure, I will approach the proper taxation authorities. My object in soliciting opinions here was to get some grounding on the topic, which I believe I have achieved.

Many thanks to Mullhollander, Meloncollie and yourself, FunnyBone for your valuable input.

On an unrelated topic and, again assuming we are allowed in the country for a prolonged stay, could I ask for opinions on the value of SBB Half Fare Travelcards vs GA Travelcards? It would appear that the GA Travelcard is the much better deal. True?

Thank you again in advance for finding out about Swiss workings.

24
Entirely depends on the frequency and length of your travels. You can also get an annual pass for regional or local routes that you would use daily say travelling to work. Obviously not your situation but if you live in a village and go daily to the city, would make sense. Crossing Switzerland daily/weekly, GA/AG would make sense. All depends on where and how often you travel.

25
If you're mobile, active folk, and interested in seeing Switzerland, taking in its beauty, then a GA/AG is a super deal. Just pop down to the bus-stop, hop on, and criss-cross the country at will, never having to think about getting a ticket. (Exception: some mountain railways and cable-cars do require a surcharge.) This freedom is nice for half a day, too, when one could spontaneously set off in the afternoon, on a journey which might otherwise not have felt "worth it" had one not started early in the morning.