Tina Turner died: That’s why the singer lived in Switzerland

  • FromKai Hartwig

    close

Tina Turner was born in the USA. But she has lived in Switzerland since the 1990s. There were very different reasons for that.

Munich/Zurich – Tina Turner filled the largest stadiums all over the world. Millions of fans cheered the power woman with the lion’s mane when she whirled across the stages in high heels and a rather short leather skirt. Most of them were able to sing along to hits like “The Best”, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” or “Private Dancer”. Tina Turner passed away on May 24 after a long illness.

Tina Turner lived in Switzerland on Lake Zurich – with her German husband Erwin Bach

But who was this rock icon? Despite her world fame, she was drawn into exile in Europe. Switzerland became her adopted country. Turner settled there with her German partner Erwin Bach, with whom she had previously lived for a number of years in his native city of Cologne. According to media reports, the couple had lived in Küsnacht, Switzerland, since 1994. Bach and Turner, who only married her husband in 2013 after he had applied several times, initially rented a house there directly on Lake Zurich.

At the beginning of 2022, both of them bought a 5000 square meter property, which is also located directly on the lake. Turner and her husband named their new home, a 100-year-old country estate, after the singer’s Native American ancestors, “Algonquin.” Born in the US, she later became a Swiss citizen. In December 2021, she was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bern for her “unique musical-artistic life’s work”.

Rock star Tina Turner stands on Lake Zurich. Born in the US, she lived in Switzerland.

© Str/dpa

Swiss tax haven attracted Tina Turner – but others also benefited from her

But why did the world-famous singer choose Switzerland as her new home? In the seclusion on Lake Zurich, Tina Turner must have enjoyed privacy – away from fans and the press. However, it is obvious that tax reasons also played a role. Turner makes millions with her music. The low taxes in Switzerland certainly helped to protect their wealth.

This is also supported by the fact that the native American gave up the citizenship of her country of birth in 2013. Her spokeswoman at the time told a Swiss online portal that the decision was made because of the US authorities’ stricter rules on taxation of Americans living abroad.

However, others in Switzerland also benefited from Turner’s presence. The purchase of the aforementioned country estate on Lake Zurich brought the municipality of Stäfa in the canton of Zurich a real windfall. Thanks to the purchase of real estate, the income from property gains tax shot up so much that general taxes could be reduced. The citizens of Stäfa must have been happy. (kh)

List of rubrics: © Str/dpa

source site