Our friend and long-time contributor Ian Ellery, aka the Gadget Guru, joined us on the programme this evening to share his gadget-y insights. First up, 
Animal Welfare Foundation Receives HEAVY Windfall; New Construction At The Banhof; Super Sized Surplus For Basel
News For 10 January 2023
2023 is off to a happy start for the TBB Foundation Switzerland - an animal welfare organization based in Basel. Last week, an anonymous donor dropped off a giant container of 5 rappen coins and the proceeds will be used to fund the animal shelter operated by the foundation on the banks of the Birs river. There were so many coins that in the process of trying to deposit them, the bank's counting machine jammed up and required intervention. The bank manager estimates that in the final count roughly 300 Francs worth of coins were donated. For those of you mathematically inclined, that's 6000 coins and at 1.8grams each, that was 11 Kilos worth of rappelli.
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As part of its 1.7 Billion Swiss Franc upgrade project for its railways, SBB will spend 180 million Francs for infrastructure improvements at Basel's main train station. The investment will include a new train track and platform and a new footbridge to provide access to the surrounding streets. Before you get too excited about the "upgrades", SBB warns that the required construction, which began a week ago, will affect train timetables. SBB advises passengers to consult their Apps or the SBB Website to get updates. The work is expected to last until 2025.
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Basel Stadt's finance department released a statement today revising its surplus tax revenue estimate upward to 325 million Swiss francs for fiscal year 2022. The government had, as recently as last September, estimated that the tax surplus would amount to 61 million Francs, but is now finding that tax collections from corporations and individual tax payers have exceed those estimates. The final tally will be released in March when the canton closes its books on the prior fiscal year, but expects that current tax collections are sustainable. Citizens will also be voting in March to reduce total estimated tax collections by 112 million Swiss Francs.