The happiest taxes on earth

The happiest taxes on earth

www.marketwatch.com

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says people in Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands are the most content with their lives. The three ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the OECD's rankings of "life satisfaction," or happiness.

There are myriad reasons, of course, for happiness: health, welfare, prosperity, leisure time, strong family, social connections and so on. But there is another common denominator among this group of happy people: taxes.

Northern Europeans pay some of the highest taxes in the world. Danes pay about two-thirds of their income in taxes. Why be so happy about that? It all comes down to what you get in return.

The Encyclopedia of the Nations notes that Denmark was one of the first countries in the world to establish efficient social services with the introduction of relief for the sick, unemployed and aged.

It says social welfare programs include health insurance, health and hospital services, insurance for occupational injuries, unemployment insurance and employment exchange services. There's also old age and disability pensions, rehabilitation and nursing homes, family welfare subsidies, general public welfare and payments for military accidents. Moreover, maternity benefits are payable up to 52 weeks.

Simply, you pay for what you get. Taxes in the U.S. have taken on a pejorative association because, well, we are never really quite sure of what we get in return for paying them, other than the world's biggest military.

Healthcare and other such social services aren't built into our system. That means we have to worry more about paying for things ourselves. Worrying doesn't equate to happiness.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 15-5-2009 by grover]

Interesting isn't it.

Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway all beat out the United States which ranked 11th on the happiness index... and all of those countries are socialist/capitalist Democracies.

I am actually surprised we made it that high.

The unstated issue when we talk about the war on drugs and American's seemingly insatiable appetite for drugs is the fact that drugs are a form of sedation and escape from despair.

We may be the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world but we are not the happiest.



www.marketwatch.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I would have a hard time trusting any government with 2/3 of my income .

Originally posted by grover


Interesting isn't it.

Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway all beat out the United States which ranked 11th on the happiness index... and all of those countries are socialist/capitalist Democracies.

I am actually surprised we made it that high.

OOOH YEAH!! Big ups, bro!

When the hard right starts shrieking about socialism what they chose to ignore is the vast majority of socialist states are a marriage between socialism capitalism and democracy.

reply to post by grover



S&F. VERY interesting.

The unstated issue ...about ...American's seemingly insatiable appetite for drugs is the fact that drugs are a form of sedation and escape from despair.

I would add that drugs keep people working when they wouldn't otherwise and thus, serve the economy very well in numerous ways.

reply to post by grover

We may be the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world but we are not the happiest.

Not any more...not even close.

These countries probably haven't shipped all of their jobs to other countries..and have most likely kept themselves from going into multi-trillion dollar debt.

Yeah, I would be happy too if someone took care of all my needs for me. (NOT!) Ya know, ya can have all those services and whatever without taxes, if you TAKE CARE of your OWN butt, instead of relying on others to do so. While most those people in those nations mentioned above may be the happiest in the world, the ones having to slave and pay the bills of others are probably among the most unhappy in the world.

And the thing too is that in those other nations, they probably do get a good bang for their tax dollars, because their government is NOT going around playing war wherever they can, or providing corporate welfare, or aid to so many dysfunctional nation in the world. I wouldn't object to where I bought my health insurance from, a corporation or a government, if I thought I was getting a good deal for my dollars. But, here in the US you can spend your entire life being tax jacked to pay for things like welfare and not get a g.d. thing back in return for it.

Our government here in the US is totally corrupt, composed of nothing but gangsta criminals and thieves. They get elected by BUYING votes through promises of kickbacks to the voters. "Elect me and I'll make the responsible people pay for your health insurance." BARF!

Anything that goes against self-responsibility is something I am totally AGAINST! All of these dang socialist ideals should be OPTIONAL. I couldn't care any less if ya'll want socialized health care, just so long as you leave it OPTIONAL and I can opt out of having to pay for others and can take care of myself FOR myself. I do NOT want to be forced into becoming a thief, living off the blood, sweat, and tears of others! I do not want to be guilty of taking money from your pocket and putting it into mine!

Say, here's an idea. Make all this socialist nonsense optional, state by state. If California, for example, wants a socialized economy, fine, just leave a few states available where I can move to and just be left the HELL ALONE and not have to worry about someone picking my pockets to pay for whatever the hell it is they can't afford themselves! I do not want to live in an enslaved society where everyone leeches off those that they think should be paying my bills. If there is a god and an eventual judgment day, I don't want to be standing there trying to defend myself over an issue of me having taken money from your pocket to pay for my lame ass needs and wants.

Leave me alone world, and keep your sticky mitts out of my pocket and maybe I'll be able to better take care of myself FOR myself, and if I can't, well, THAT is MY problem .. NOT yours! It's totally WRONG for anyone to force their BELIEFS upon another .. just plane WRONG .. and probably a sin too. Charity should be voluntary and optional and up to me who I want to help or not.

I live in the Cayman Islands. We have no instrument that we call taxes, but what we do have is duties on imported goods. It's a pay-as-you-go tax. It's geared toward consumerism. You don't want to pay any tax? Fine. Don't import anything -- grow your own produce and eat a lot of fish, lobster, conch, crab and whelk.

Our fuel costs are high as compared with the U.S., but then again, we don't soil our drawers as April 15th approaches. One thing I really appreciate -- no property, sales, estate, income, SS tax. You earn a buck, it's yours. All of it.

We used to have socialized medicine. Not any longer, however medical costs are very low compared with other places. I can fill a prescription and pay less than $4.00.

I think that if the U.S. moved toward this kind of system, the people would be a lot better off. Imagine HMOs for everyone that couldn't afford a better choice, financed by a duty on consumer products.

Does this ring as control by consumerism to you all? It doesn't feel so to us. We're very grateful for it, even though none of us can verify what our monies are spent on.

Not sure i trust OCED to report accurately on people's 'happiness.' They appear to be another globalist organization pushing the same product as the UN and all the other one-worlders.


TA

Taxes = happiness. I guess standing in line at the DMV = a euphoric experience then.

Originally posted by Max_TO
I would have a hard time trusting any government with 2/3 of my income .

Originally posted by Max_TO
I would have a hard time trusting any government with 2/3 of my income .

I wouldn't because if you get as much in return as the countries in this article provide , then they can't spend it on anything else ;-)

I love how liberals talk about how socialism is the cure for all our woes. A idiot would espouse this garbage and call it a good deal. How do You consider it a good deal when You get taxed 1000 dollars but yet only get 400 dollars worth of services. Walk into any government building that supposedly supply all these worth while services and You will see plenty of people standing by the coffee machine while only two or three people work. I wouldn't mind paying for services if they were stream lined and everyone paid the same but I'll be damned if I make 44 hours a week over time if I have to pay for someone whom only works 20 hours a week. You people talk about social justice but I sure don't see any social justice. The only thing I see is a bunch of envious pricks that want the government to steal my money while they do 1/3 of the work I do. Lets not mention all the quality time they get to spend with their family while I am out busting my arse so they can sit around and drink beer which I can't do because its not allowed.

As far as I am concerned the biggest problem with our tax system and what we get for it. is In comparison to other advanced nations; even Canada or England, we get so very little for what we pay for.

There was one little detail they forgot to mention. The reason those countries spend so little on defense is because of the United States.

They know the US would defend them from attack. Now imagine what they would do if suddenly their security blanket disappeared.

Most of them couldn't even mount a proper defense of their homelands. Poland 1939 comes to mind.

Well european countries decreased spending post cold war while the US hasnt really.

But yeah the welfare really helps people but there are ofcourse also issues with it.

Good article!
This article supports the fact that when people are taxed by the Government and the Government honestly does it's best to redistribute the gathered income to help those who need it, ultimately benefiting all who contribute, really really works.

It sometimes seems so selfish to me when people complain about paying taxes if the Government is doing a good job of using them. Of course, there is the right to complain when the tax payer's money is squandered, but in the article are some prime examples of Governments that really care about the people. This, in essence, is collectivism and this article proves that in moderation, it can work.

I'm a Dane, so I'm ofcourse used to this system. Ever since my first work as a paper boy, I've paid taxes for the money that wasn't covered by my deduction (roughly $5000 a year... yet, due to loans etc. the deduction is now $1000 a month... Tax free...).

When the tax is paid in Denmark, I don't have to worry about if I ever get sick and need to go to a doctor or the hospital. EVERY little treatment whatever it may be; small operation, big operation or need an organ donation... it's free! If I get cancer... I get free treatment all the way. If I'm too sick to travel to the hospital myself, they come to me and transport me there. If the nearby hospital is completely filled, I can choose another hospital freely.
Until you're 18 you get free dentist treatment, no matter what you need fixed.

The childcare and school system is ofcourse also covered by this.
If you're a single parent you get $350 a month in support from the state. You also get financial support for child daycare. Normally a spot in the local daycare costs around $600 a month, but a single parent would only need to pay $70 a month.
When your children reach school age, you can apply for a public school and ofcourse have your children go there for free. You also have the choice of having them attend a private school, which is basicly a public school that costs money. Then one I went to cost around $200 a month and then one can attend it from the age 6/7 till you graduate at around age 15/16.
After that you get free highschool. This lasts 3 years and you'll graduate around the age 18/19. Now here's the perc... When you turn 18, you are eligble to receive something called "SU" or roughly translated into State Educational support. This means that you after you turn 18 get around $800 a month if you attend a study at any public school.
Once you move on to college or university, you are allowed 6 years of Educational support, or 72 "clips" (1 month is a clip). You can at your choosing discontiue this support, fx. to earn money while working during summer vacation etc.
College and university has no or minimal fees for attending. Ofcourse books are expensive and you often have to print out assignments. These are paid by students themselves.

If you find that staying home and studying is a bit "boring" then you are allowed to travel and attend a school abroad, and take that Educational support with you.

If you're a hard studier that don't want to take after school work while studying at uni, then you can get cheap state loans which are faaar cheaper than any bank would ever think about giving. 3-4% loans that is.
You don't have to start paying back that loan till 1-2 years after you finished you education and probably have gotten a job.

Once you start working, you get tax deduction for all sorts of things. Fx the state didn't want to make it an issue if you have to travel far to get to work. So you get tax deduction for every kilometer you drive in your own car and so on. A lot more things added to that.

When you hit retirement you have you state funded retirement plan. It's only around $20000 a year, but since there's lots of apartments around that are build for elderly citizens and are inexpensive to run and look very nice, an elderly couple can get by on that money, even if they haven't put money aside like most people do today.

If you're a young person or a young couple and you live in an apartment with its own kitchen, you can, depending on the monthly price and how much you earn, get financial support from you local communal center. The amount varies, I myself got $90 a month once, but I've heard of people receiving as much as $200 a month in support.


A LAS... Denmark is still being influenced a lot by capitalism and unfortunately the current government probably wants to privatize a lot more public institutions, making it harder for the lower middle and low class families.
I hope that we'll see a turnover within the next few years and that our social democrats and socialistic people's party will take over the ruling.


In perspective. I lived in London for a year to finish my education. The feeling I was left with after going home was that I wish for all Danish students to travel out and spend atleast a year in another country.
It suddenly dawned on me after living in London how good! things are in Denmark.

A lot of people believe that pepole would get lazy and just live off wellfare with this massive security net beneath us, but it's quite the contrary. We still have ambition, we still have goals, and we want to work and improve, and in times like these where unemployment is raising and work is hard to come by, especially for ones particular field of work, I praise the exsistence of this safety net. I makes sure that I can still afford to pay my bills, pay my food, and still enjoy a quite beer once in a while.

I wouldn't trade in this "high" tax for anything in the world.

Yes... I am happy

Flice aka A Dane

Originally posted by Max_TO
I would have a hard time trusting any government with 2/3 of my income .

Well me too, but I guess Americans are at a disadvantage when it comes to trusting the government.