The limits of growth

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The headquarters economy has costs that are borne above all by the residents of the canton. The most visible is the price of housing. The vacancy rate of 0.39 per cent reported in 2025 means that almost no rental housing is available. The median rent in the canton stood at 1,824 francs in 2021.¹ Families with ordinary incomes, young people leaving their parents' homes and employees of the service sector find it increasingly difficult to live in the canton. The traffic on the roads between Zug, Baar and Zurich, the pressure on schools and the scarcity of building land are further consequences.

The canton's political authorities are aware of these limits. The use of the revenue from the global minimum tax for measures that improve the quality of the location, described in Part B, is in part a response to them. Part K examines the policy choices that the canton faces as it approaches the limits of its growth.

Notes

zentralplus, "SGS zieht von Genf nach Zug – und sorgt für Kritik": vacancy rate of 0.39 per cent; Zuger Kantonalbank, "Der Kanton Zug in Zahlen", edition 2023: median rent of CHF 1,824 in 2021 for all unit sizes combined. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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