Finland way ahead of U.S. in many ways

Honolulu Star Bulletin ^ | 12/12/03 | Nancy Bey Little

[GrandmaPatriot]

The article about Finland in your Dec. 7 Travel section was interesting. We like to think that we are the most advanced country in the world, but that seems to apply only to weapons, and many others (even in "Old Europe") are far ahead of us. Helsinki, a small capital city of 500,000, has an underground metro and light-rail trams. Finland has the most successful economy in the world and provides its citizens with many social benefits: education through graduate school, generous child-care leave, $100-per-month child payments until age 16 and health care. Our radical right-wing would sniff "socialism," but they are way ahead of us. And they are not squandering billions of dollars and human lives by invading other nations.

[tinacart]

"...has an underground metro and light-rail trams..."

Yeah, because NO ONE CAN AFFORD TO DRIVE THERE! They can't afford the cost of the license or the vehicles since they all basically receive the same amount of income (we call it welfare here, and some who receive it are ashamed and try to get off, but in Finland it is considered a birthright). My sister recently moved over there to be with her son and granddaughter - I knew she wouldn't stay long! They can keep their socialist country, and leave mine alone!

[Kenton]

Finland's great if you like to get piss drunk on vodka, take off all your clothes, get scalded at 150 degrees, have a woman thrash you with branches, then jump into a lake at -21 degrees.

That's what I did last New Year's Eve.

[dangus]

An underground metro is certainly a waste for a city that small.

We offer free education through grad school. It's called "scholarships." If you can't get a scholarship, you wouldn't qualify for Finaland's "free" grad school education either. Taht the scholarships come from various sources with various principles only means we're more democratic than Finland, which has the government bestow your "right" to get an education based on their standards. And if you can't qualify for a scholarship here, but you're supercommitted and believe in yourself and the value of your grad degree, you can take out a loan, and give yourself a scholarship. In Sweden, you simply aren't allowed to get one (if they are like other similat European countries).

Forget about sniffing "socialism." It's this simple: can any society be that great if they have to pay people to make babies? I'm all for helping parents out, since they serve a necessary role, but that's not what Sweden is doing. THeir birth rate is so low that they have resorted to paying people to have babies.

[Colosis]

I just got back from a week in Finland 2 weeks ago. Man, the prices there are sky high - $7 for a pint of beer!!! And talk about dreary, it was dark at 3.30 pm. Great looking girls, though |:)

[dwilli]

Is any Finnish citizen enjoying 80 degree weather today without leaving their country?

[HarleyD]

This is what I found from the Library of Economics and Liberty
Marginal Tax Rates
by Alan Reynolds
http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/MarginalTaxRates.html

The marginal tax rate is the rate on the last dollar of income earned. This is very different from the average tax rate, which is the total taxes paid as a percentage of total income earned. The seemingly arcane topic of marginal tax rates became the central theme of a revolution in economic policy that swept the globe in the eighties. By the end of the decade, more than fifty nations had significantly reduced their highest marginal tax rates (most of which are shown in table 1). Neither Karl Marx nor John Maynard Keynes had so much influence on so many countries in so little time.

TABLE 1

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Maximum Marginal Tax Rates on Individual Income

---

1979 1990
Argentina 45 30
Australia 62 47
Austria 62 50
Belgium 76 55
Bolivia 48 10
Botswana 75 50
Brazil 55 25
Canada (Ontario) 58 47
Chile 60 50
Colombia 56 30
Denmark 73 68
Egypt 80 65
Finland 71 43
France 60 53
Germany (West)56 53
Greece 60 50
Guatemala 40 34
Hungary 60 50
India 60 50
Indonesia 50 35
Iran 90 75
Ireland 65 56
Israel 66 48
Italy 72 50
Jamaica 58 33
Japan 75 50
Korea (South) 89 50
Malaysia 60 45
Mauritius 50 35
Mexico 55 35
Netherlands 72 60
New Zealand 60 33
Norway 75 54
Pakistan 55 45
Philippines 70 35
Portugal 84 40
Puerto Rico 79 43
Singapore 55 33
Spain 66 56
Sweden 87 65
Thailand 60 55
Trinidad and Tobago 70 35
Turkey 75 50
United Kingdom 83 40
United States 70 33

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"$100-per-month child payments until age 16"

Just what we need!

[philosofy123]

If their quality of life is better, their economy is better, their medical care is better, their schools are better, their child mortality rate is better, so what is the difference between 25% tax here or 75% tax there? The results are what counts. However, I might add, we have no homogenous society as these countries do. Our boarders are open, and floods of third world countries are invading our ranks legally, and illegally- diluting our values/ethics/health standards. Hence straight comparison is not fair. If you want to compare white Anglo American with Finland you may find that they could be better? The immigrants to this country eventually adapt, and most of the time becomes better than the natives. My point is the constant influx produces a constant underclass, which shifts our records lower in comparison with pure European nations.

[Moosilauke]

Please show me where 60% comes from.

Probably referring to "marginal tax rate". Here's one source.

[Ispy4u]

So ours is 33 and theirs is 43?

I think I'm reading that right.

I'm still looking for the 60% number. There has got to be duckbite type taxes adding that up. We have to know what they are if we want to oppose them.

[BlueLancer]

"...have a woman thrash you with branches..."
"Great looking girls, though"

And, when you put the two together ....

[Dead Dog]

I sniff socialism! Alright who stepped in it? ....and don't go tracking it around Jim's website.

[HarleyD]

I should have mentioned that the downward tax trend (from 1970 to 1990) was reflective of an expanding economy. Tax rates after 1990 which are not represented in this table have increased. You may wish to go to the website for further info.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Yes. The Maki family of Duluth, MN is sunning themselves in Sarasota this week on vacation.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Well at $7.00 a pint beer, the chicks better come free with every second pint.

[tertiary01]

I worked for awhile with a nurse that emigrated from Finland. She was always checking up on what the other nurses on the unit were doing and comparing her work loads to the others. As a result she was always behind in her work and trying to get the other nurses to pickup part of her caseload.
When I would bring up how she was always putting herself behind, she would say that in Finland the workloads would be apportioned equally, that there would be a supervisor to insure this outcome, and she was just checking to make sure it was done that way here. No amount of argument could pursuade her that this was futile and a waste of her time.
It was exasperating working with this person, as she spent so much time nonproductively. I eventually moved to another unit to save my sanity.

[HarleyD]

Some more recent information on Finland taxes..

Taxation of an individual's income is progressive. In other words, the higher the income, the higher the rate of tax payable. The tax rate for an individual is between 5% - 37.5%. In addition to direct taxation there is also municipal tax. This tax is payable by a self-employed individual on his or her income and it fluctuates between 15.5% - 19.75% depending on the municipal authority.

Church tax is also payable.

Reduced rates of tax or exemption are available for certain income earners.

The standard rate of corporation tax is fixed at present at 29%. A reduced rate of tax is applicable to certain corporations. In general private companies in Finland are characterized by the suffix OY after their names. Public companies have the suffix OYJ.

The tax year in Finland ends on December 31st.

Advance payments of tax are made on the following basis.

An individual whose only income is from a salary is not obligated to file an annual tax return.
- The employer deducts tax from the employee and transfers the payment immediately to the tax authorities on a monthly basis.
- A self-employed individual is obligated to make 12 monthly advance payments of tax.
- A self-employed individual is obligated to file a return before the end of March.

Notice there is no IRS-they just take it out of your pay. (Can anyone say flat tax?) Also the rate can fluctuate up pass 60% depending on your income. That may be what is the confusion.

[international american]

"Well at $7.00 a pint beer, the chicks better come free with every second pint."

It would be even better if we got the chicks to pay for the beer!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This kind of envy is a bedrock principle of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Well sure it would.