Coming in like a lion

The saying goes, "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb." 

Based on the day I've had so far, March's entrance has pretty much been "meh," not lion-ish at all.  It's quite chilly and gloomy - in other words, there's not been much change since February. 

There are better reasons than the weather to dread March hereabouts.  March is tax month in Switzerland.  For those of us who must settle accounts with more than one tax authority, it's a one-two punch.  As a US citizen, once I've finished with Swiss taxes, it's time to give the IRS its due.  Frankly, the "ordeal" is much over-rated, IMO.  In my experience, both tax bites have been reasonable.  There is also a bilateral arrangement between the countries to ensure that one isn't taxed twice on the same income.

Taxes are the price we pay to live in an enlightened, educated, secure, functional and civilized society.  The progressive income tax is one method of ensuring that those who benefit most from the outlays that ensure this society also pay a share of those costs.  Make no mistake, taxes - by other names - have always been with us.  But if it is always and only those few in whose hands financial resources are preponderantly concentrated, i.e., the top two percent, who do not pay their fair share, how is capitalism really much different from feudalism?  Hmmm.

Speaking of fiscal matters, ECA International, a firm specializing in international relocations, has determined that Geneva is the 10th most expensive city in the world for rental apartments, based on an average monthly rental of EUR 1,794 (USD 2,479) for a three-room (80 sq meter = approx. 861 sq ft) apartment.  Zurich is ranked 20th in this category.   Among cities located in Europe only, Geneva ranks third, after Moscow and London.  Zurich comes in 8th.  Those of us who live here need no reminders of the expense.  When prices begin to seem reasonable, then we've been here too long, or so the saying goes.

Still, we can be very thankful that we're not living in Asia.  Costs of renting an apartment in Tokyo, Hong Kong or Singapore make the costs in Geneva almost look reasonable.  I guess that it's all in the perspective.