Ski and tax regulations

Large sumptuous chalets are rented out for a fortune, reaching CHF90,000 a week for a property giving directly onto Lake Saint Moritz for example. Foreigners who choose their Swiss chalet as their main residence can benefit from the famous Swiss ‘lump-sum’ tax. In 2012, 5,634 residents (a third of whom were French) took advantage of this tax based on their "expenses", as opposed to revenue received outside the Confederation - a figure that rose 20% between 2006 and 2008, but only 3.5% between 2008 and 2012. In the United States the vendor does not pay any capital gains tax if the sum is used to purchase another property.

© Corbis/Keystone/Martin Ruetschi