Finnish tax cuts mean 33 euros extra for average-waged person
If you make the average Finnish monthly gross income wage of 2,400 euros, you’ll stand to get a tax cut of 1.3% and take home an extra 33 euros per month (before taxes), after taxes you might get an extra 20 bucks a month.
Don’t spend it all in one place, guys. These miniscule tax cuts won’t do a damn thing to affect the economy. I’m looking forward to next year when the socialists will be shouting, “Last year we had all these tax cuts and NOTHING has changed!! See how good tax cuts are?!?”
At least these tax cuts are better than nothing, but what Finland needs is SPENDING cuts.
But taxes pay for things such health (where, America is the only 1st world country without a public health service), education (FREE from nursery to university) & social security (from cradle to grave)! Talking about a bloke from a country with a 1,1 trillion American dollar (823 billion euros) deficit. Also 33??¬ is about 44.08 USD.
Comment by Philip — Thu, Dec 2nd, 2004 @ 11:04 am
The Finnish economy is in pretty good shape for the moment. No need for any massive spending boost. Maybe the conservative 1.5% tax cut simply means that the tax level is just about right. Don’t forget, in poll after poll after poll an overwhelming majority of the Finns have said that they are prepared to pay their taxes, as long as Finland can maintain the welfare system (esp. health services, public education, and social security). You don’t have to love your taxes, mind you, but the reason most people in western Europe accept them anyway is because they know they get something back for them (short version: a decent society). The U. S. is of course an entirely different matter. I for one absolutely hated my taxes when I lived over there, because I knew my hard earned money went straight down the bottomless pit of military spending.
Comment by Erik — Thu, Dec 2nd, 2004 @ 5:12 pm