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Comment by tkubacki | Hacker News Reader

I do consider Switzerland doings as hostile to EU.

1) Switzerland gain on using EU transportation and free market but does not contribute fair fee to maintain and build it.

You can tax EU - we will see who will survive.

2) Switzerland does unfair tax competition

3) Switzerland helped hide EU citizens untaxed money (maybe still does)

4) Switzerland helps Russian oligarchs maintain their wealth and many other criminals all around the world.

5) Last but not least: If Switzerland does not care about Ukraine dying because it is ‘neutral’ and yet still wants safe borders, then I don’t fucking care about Switzerland well being.

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1) EU gains on CH transportation just as well.

2) unfair in what way? Swiss taxes are lower than most EU countries, that's true. But not all: Income tax in e.g. Bulgaria is lower, company taxes are lower in Ireland. But even if it were the lowest, why is that unfair? Can't voters decide by themselves how much taxes they want to pay?

3) 15 years ago, yes. But then Switzerland had to give up banking secrecy, at least for EU and USA citizens.

4) This is your only point that is true

5) Switzerland, by its constitution, is neutral and can also not give military support to countries that are at war. The last part was not always like that, during WO2 neutral CH was still selling lots of weapons to Germany and making a fortune with that. After the war allied forces made CH pay recovery payments for that, so CH decided to amend their law to forbid selling weapons to countries at war. They stick to that law but do care about Ukraine, so they found a workaround: they sell weapons to e.g. Germany, who then can replace their own weapons and send them to Ukraine.

1) EU can workaround you - you can't workaround EU. Size is not proportional.

2) It's obvious - fin-tech have virtual companies to lower taxes in Switzerland, lot of individuals try to get Swiss tax residence to lower taxes. Switzerland knows that and allows that.

5) My point is - if Switzerland want to be secure inside EU it should pay fee to secure external EU borders. That would be a fair deal.

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