Self-employed artists/creatives

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Hi all,

Does Switzerland offer any concessions to artists or creatives who are self-employed?

Germany, for example, has a Künstlersozialkasse, which contributes to healthcare payments for artists.

Does Switzerland have anything like this?

More generally, how well does it support self-employed people?

thanks

dR

2
Künstlersozialkasse? Hahaha...Forget it. There is none.

Paying for Krankenkasse? Dream on... pay up yourself like everybody. Everyone has to do it out of his own pocket and it is mandatory, if you are an artist or a secretary.

Self employed people have to look after themselves. That 's because they are self -employed. You can save somewhat on taxes and expenses, though.

It is your personal choice how you want to work. Self employed is not bad, but do never expect to get goodies from the state. You will not get them.

Stop dreaming... :-) And welcome in Bern!

3
I'm not dreaming.

I'm simply asking.

Condescension not required.

4
If you ask and do not even bother to do the research on your own, you get what you get. A honest answer. And since I am a published writer and journalist and since I am also self employed on the side, you've got an expert.

5
This was me researching. Surely this is what the forum is for: to ask questions of people who have experience of the country/culture, especially because I don't yet know enough German or French to research official governmental sources.

I hope this kind of snippiness is not what awaits me; it's certainly something I've been warned about.

As an internationally published author myself, I was hoping to find like-minded and similarly experienced people in Switzerland.

6
Ooooo! Two published artists duking it out, lemme get the popcorn.

7
There's a 10 Euro entry fee.

Sorry, it's Switzerland, I mean 700 CHF.

8
To be fair, this forum is a place to ask questions pertaining to living and working in Switzerland.

Admittedly there's not much of that now - it's either threads with forum veterans bemoaning questions asked by newbies or it's threads about guns, Israel or Donald Trump.

9
True, this is a resource of sorts. However, if you've read around on EF, you'll realize that while the information is often quite good, the delivery manner can be a little direct at times.

If you want to benefit from the EF collective wisdom, you must be prepared to face the collective snark. To expect otherwise is naive and shows you didn't do your research, which is like blood in the water.

And in all honesty, your question was painfully naive. Any reading around on any sources you'll find out that the Swiss system is brutally uncaring about those who cannot pay, as being poor or otherwise needy is a blasphemy against the national idols of money, insurance, and sound fiscal planning.

Those of us who live here develop a bit of a black humour about it, but just a few examples so you understand. Unpaid insurance premiums get you blacklisted from hospitals If you go on social assistance (welfare) you have to repay it Getting a betreibung for an unpaid debt, no matter how small, can cripple your chances of renting housing

Etc., etc.

There's no free rides here, everything costs up front. The EF joke about 120k being the poverty line isn't true, but like most jokes it has its grain of truth.

10
Not true, the insurance have to pay for treatment & keep you covered for life if you don't pay. They can only go to the debt collectors office, if you can't pay tough luck on the insurer.

11
Thank you for the information, much appreciated, that's the kind of detail I'm looking for, but Jesus, I don't think I've never come across a forum as needlessly snippy as this one.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with black humour - I'm an award-winning satirist known for black humour.

When I see it here I'll let you know.

Maybe this forum isn't for me and I should look elsewhere. People seem to assume that, having only found out that I'm moving to Switzerland less than 2 weeks ago, I should somehow already know how this forum (and Switzerland) functions.

12
I stand corrected, then. Thanks. I seemed to recall that from some sort of sensational The Local headline... silly me for trusting it

13
I think the "offending" poster answered in a tone motivated by her own frustration with the system. I honestly don't think it was pointed towards you per se.

14
Yeah, I'd agree with that. There's a few aspects of the bureaucracy here that have me rubbed raw and I have trouble being civil about them.

15
Perhaps it‘s not. Like Rodney Dangerfield, no one gets respect. Unless of course you‘ve hung around for a while and contributed. Even then.

16
The simple answer is "Artist's lifestyles are not subsidised by taxes" unlike in other countries.

Mrs gbn has been known to sit on panels that allocate funds to aspiring this-and-that for the EU as a whole and for EU national bodies.

Switzerland is relatively free from the rent-seeking culture to be found in several EU countries

I suspect you got short shrift because most people here work and pay by themselves without any state assistance.

17
This. I worked in the Canadian art scene for many years, both in galleries and as an artist. Nothing pissed me off more than the subsidy racket by which a small core of "professional artistes" leeched tax money to fund their little lifestyle, while aggressively stepping on any younger artists who might threaten their funding.

And lets not get into the blatant identity politics needed to get into Banff.

My take away was while I can respect a starving artist, and I can respect a commercial one, I have no respect for one that won't sell on artistic principle, but lives on grants, subsidies and tax breaks.

/rant over

18
I have seen plenty of Nein to NO Bilag posts in my FB feed, so there is a little subsidy from radio & TV licenses. Culture comes under the Police , thats not a joke!

19
This.

But then, we have no idea if OP is in fact coming here with that intention. Assumptions together with obviously personal and frustrating experience of some posters make a good sniping position...but do not justify it.

Art is so not profitable where I am from, anybody relying on that bit of support gets a lot of free community support, on top of the institutional one. It is not a bad exercise in community spirit.

Btw - the best art is almost always the partisan type. Not the type racking up the pseudo credits, fellowships and tax cuts. I am sure OP knows this, though. Cannot wait for a good dose of snark free, clever satire.

20
Not really - if you mean me. The system is what it is and I live quite well with it.

I think it is better to get an honest answer than to dream on. You can always try it, but being warned about false assumptions might help to decide if you want to work in CH. Paperwork is quite easy if you want to have your own company (Einzelfirma).

And it might work out if you try. Good thing: Clients normally pay well and are easy to handle. I work with big and small and state-owned companies and always got treated and paid well.

But I have to say that I do freelance on the side - as it is also fun to work with adults once in a while :-)