Yet still ranks 4th in the most competitive economy in the world
Politics - 9 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Logic
2 :
Having been to Sweden, I can confirm that the average Swede lives with a much higher quality of life than the typical American. You get what you pay for.
3 :
in sweden they actually get results for their tax dollars. there are not many conservatives to water everything down or outright destroy things like we have here.
4 :
The Vikings were hard workers to begin with, plus they luckily didn't get as tainted with the whole religious movement. They were a society of warriors and hardworking individuals who prided themselves in what they did. That's bottom line the answer to their success. But like C White said, you hardly see a Swede with 3 cars and two houses like Americans have.
5 :
I've been to Sweden and I know many Swedes. Here's the stunner: the Swedish people I know enjoy their jobs and simply care about being productive members of society. They pay high taxes because they get many good services from their government.
6 :
The key is that they actually work. Here we have a whole segment(millions) of society who are leeches and don't want to contribute..
7 :
Most of them work, so they get the Tax they pay to work for them. Look at the average wage there, quality of life, immigration control and the benefits the workers get. Mass employment really does work and respect for all careers. That could be why such a small country does so well. Greed comes from taking something from another. No sweat shops so you can buy a cheap shirt, no whipping the pot wash because they are poor, as you don't pay them much. I would go for mass employment any day.
8 :
We work so we can pay taxes of course. ;) Actually, work can be quite fun and you have to do something in life, otherwise you'll be bored. I would never want to live off other people's tax money unless I have to. Being unemployed makes you feel like you're a burden, as if you're not doing anything meaningful in life. I think that's actually much worse than the economical disadvantage of being unemployed, but not all Swedes would agree with me. Many Swedes only work for the money too. I don't mind paying taxes since I don't really need that money anyway. When you have enough money to live a comfortable life, more money won't make you happier. And we DO get most of it back, the benefits of living in a welfare-state are worth paying for. Even if I would end up paying more taxes than I get back, I will still believe that my money was used for good purposes. It's like an insurance, it's good to have one if you need it, and if you don't, then at least you've helped somebody else.
9 :
Like Vendelay says, most Swedes are content with paying their taxes because we are made aware of, or take an interest in, what we actually get out of the taxes: virtually free health care, free education including at University level, lots of foreign aid, a good welfare system, police and rescue services, a high proportion of foreign aid and a very low proportion of defence and armed forces costs. There are probably other innumerable things I've forgotten to mention. If you're a wage earner, you can't do much to avoid paying taxes, and you probably won't want to work more than 40 hours/week even if you could, because you wouldn't have time to enjoy life. Businesses and the self-employed may be more motivated by greed, and they are also the ones with the most opportunities to cheat. With the ridiculously high tax rates of the 70s, everyone but the poor wanted to avoid or evade taxes, legally or otherwise, but things have changed, and with a reformed tax system and a few years of conservative rule, only a small number of extremely wealthy Swedes need go into tax exile. The general idea now is that it should be worth your while making money, and the tax rate should be bearable. That way, people will be less likely to try and cheat and more willing to pay their taxes, and the economy will improve.
