
Originally Posted by
Namnori
I am aware that, in Finland, health care is cheaper and education at all levels is free. On the other hand, the per capita income is 30% less than in America but Finnish still pay an average income tax of 50% (compared to 30% in the U.S.).
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what? people in finland pays an average of 50% income tax? OH MY GODFATHER, WOW!

thats outrageous and totally not true. in terms of income taxation, the more you earn, the more you pay. but if you say "average income tax" that also means an "average income tax payer" who is earning an "average wage".
here if you have 2 jobs or you are earning an income from more than 1 source then the tax on the second source of income is ALOT higher compare to the first, but you also have to be earning ALOT from that to pay closer to 50%, it can be less or even more depending on the amount of the income. or if someone is earning €20,000 a month then yeah maybe i can believe that person is paying 50% tax.
but then that cant be considered as an "average" anymore coz not more than half of Finnish population is earning that much or is earning from more than one source of income. i've lived in finland for almost 2 yrs now and as far as i know, an average income tax from someone earning an average salary with no other source of income would fall anywhere between 21% to 28%. trust me, im one of the of tax payers who pays an "average" tax and if 50% of my salary goes to it, mo uli nalang kos pilipinas

oh and we have 4 seasons in finland

and health care is not only cheaper, but closer to being free without compromising the quality.
the thing that impresses me about this country is that their government provides a good security on the aspects of life that people usually worry about like health care, education, unemployment and elderly care.