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.

[Dementon]

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
It's the country for me.

You're so near to Russia,
So far from Japan,
Quite a long way from Cairo,
Lots of miles from Vietnam.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Eating breakfast or dinner,
Or snack lunch in the hall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

You're so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
Finland has it all.

Finland has it all.

[Conspiracy Guy]

When you add that in in finland it goes from 60% to 75 or 80%. Life is relevent.

[Jim Cane]

No mention either of the suicide rate in Finland, which is the highest in the world most years.

I'd kill myself if I had to listen to Sibelius all the time, too.

[Ispy4u]

Finland tax rates

I don't see 60% on this site.

some quick searches told me the Average finnish income is like 34,000 Eur approximately 6 FIN/Eur comes to 204,000 FIN average income.

Income tax rate for 204,000 is 13% plus 22% VAT (less on some items) still only equals 35%.

Now I agree they are socialists and I don't envy them. I also have very limited skill with translating numbers into real life, hence I'm not an economics guru.

Please show me where 60% comes from.

[chiefqc]

I guess it's like you work your 40 hour work week, they tax your earnings and you still owe them money.

[Semper Paratus]

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.

[HardStarboard]

Finland isn't "Perfect". For one thing, there aren't any Walgreens there!

[.38sw]

I have a cousin who lives in Finland and teaches English to college students. He doesn't have much nice to stay about his students - he calls them dumb cows, and says that they lack in initiative, drive and creativity. He assessment is that since the government provides so many "services" for them, they don't need to have any drive or ambition. He was in the US recently for a visit, and he and his wife shopped like crazy to buy things that were unavailable there - things like large, fluffy towels! His descriptions of life there make me very happy I live here in the US.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe they're driven over the edge by the reindeer? Or their awful-looking language? Lonely Planet "did" Finland sometime back, when we still had cable. It's a pretty country, if cold is your thing ...

[Spok]

Also no mention of whether the people enjoy any personal freedom.

[beckett]

Finland has an absolutely static population -- 5 million people and no more are expected to arrive, mostly because the winter months are unbearable for anymore but the most thoroughly acclimatized. It also has highly homogeneous population. They do live well in Finland but Finland is an irreproducable state, completely unique.

It is unfair to compare the Finland with a large, diverse, and, yes, multi-cultural, nation-state like the United States.

[agarrett]

Finland way ahead of U.S. in many ways

  Alphabetically, for instance...

Drew Garrett

[MegaSilver]

This is the type of thinking that is prevelant in Hawaii? Notice not one mention about the tax rate in Finland.

Or about personal happiness, diversity, sense of meaning in life, statistics which show that this money is actually making a DIFFERENCE in quality and longevity of life, etc. etc.

[Tredge]

That's it - that's all it takes and you've convinced me - I'm going to Finland!

[international american]

I got these numbers from an A&E interview with the Finnish Minister of Finance .They have many other taxes that are not reflected under the basic tax codes. It was he who stated this when queried by the interviewer.

[Prince Caspian]

It's impossible to get ahead of anybody when you're going down the wrong track.

[Ispy4u]

I don't mean to imply you are wrong, I just wanted to learn about all the sneaky ways they raise the easily apparent tax from 35% to 60%+.

If we don't pay attention our lawmakers would do the same dirty little tricks to us, and once it's there we won't be able to get rid of it.

Is there anyone else that can find all the dirty little hidden taxes there?

[Destructor]

"The writer is a dope."

Socialist Utopians usually are dopes.

[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.

Sounds ok except for the scalding and jumping in the cold lake part.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Bring warm clothes.