Why Sweden is proud to have the world's highest taxes - BBC REEL
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- Опубликовано: 5 янв 2021
- Sweden is famous for having some of the highest taxes in the world, and yet the country's tax agency is still one of its most trusted institutions.
The Swedish attitude towards tax contrasts sharply with many countries. We investigate what this says about Swedish society and how the popularity of the welfare state might survive growing challenges in the future.
Video by Maddy Savage and Benoît Derrier
#bbcreel #bbc #bbcnews
It's not about high tax.
It's about how efficiency tax money goes to public services.
You said it all. My country has one of the highest tax ratings but the money goes down the drain with bad administration and corruption.
it is about high tax, especially taxing the rich
It is about high taxes, you can be as efficient as you want, without high taxes you won't be able to fund programs. Sweden has low corruption and high taxes, so you obviously still need high taxes.
@@politcallycorrect5816 Yes but lower taxes without any agencies or politicians wasting any money would still be a start for many countries. Besides of course the mentioned will of the people.
@@politcallycorrect5816 That is objectively false. Sweden has extremely high taxes and still a welfare that is lacking alot with the healthcare only being ranked 28th overall. Switzerland has a taxrate of 22% and their welfare outclasses Swedens with a MASSIVE margin. They do not have nthe longest hospital waiting lines in europe like Sweden does.
Low corruption? Are you insane? Look up the ''transportstyrelseskandalen''. Or how much the politicians lie all the times. That we would have the lowest unemployment in the whole EU in 2020, how the pensions would all rise by 2000 crowns aswell, how the politicians say they will crack down on crime while the deadly shootings countinue to rise and the police even say they can't do anything about the crime.
Perhaps this can also explain why Kurd Özz Nujen appears to be untouchable. Paid a would-be terrorist black money and has renovated black for by professionals in the order of 20-30 million and despite that, the Supreme Commander does not hesitate to take a smiling selfie with Özz. There is something deeply worrying about Swedish politics and Swedish authorities. Why do you deliberately let the country crash and the Swedish people are anesthilated, because this is what you do?
The current prime minister even had people working without paying taxes while herself saying that it is a bad thing having companies that work black not paying any taxes.
PKK and the muslim brotherhoods have inflitrated the social democrats aswell. Sweden might be the most corrupt state in europe and is now crashing down and become a third world nation on every category.
Having moved to Sweden from a country where everyone avoids taxes where possible, the attitude is totally different. A BIG factor I think is that everyone in Sweden qualifies for all the benefits. Whether you are rich or poor, all parents get PAID parental leave, all children have free healthcare, education is free for all.... on top of the normal infrastructure stuff. Whereas where I came from, if you are "rich" your benefits are reduced and could be cut if the government determines you are "rich" and don't qualify for any benefits. So you end up in a situation where the people who pays the taxes are the ones that get little to no benefits... (and of course the truly rich have smart accountants to mitigate their taxes, so really only the middle class pays taxes) and strangely enough, this causes resentment towards taxation.
You probably have an objective opinion on almost every issue, i like your perspective.. keep it up albeit you might not always be appreciated
Which country u moved from ...and is everybody is on job in sweden..
wow.. this thread was 10 months ago... I moved from New Zealand early 2000s. Maybe things have changed since then, but I remember specifically my girlfriend at the time and I were attending university and applying for government support (sort of student aid) I came from blue collar family so not problems for me, but my GF she had all sorts of problems because despite parents divorced and had any support from her well to do father, her father's income was included in whether she qualifed.... and we were 22 / 21yo respectively, not like young kids living off parents.
Secondly when I graduated from university I was unemployed for 4 months or so... again, to qualify for the unemployment benefit, I had to have no savings or any other income to qualify.
These 2 examples are 1st hand, my own experiences. Needless to say there was, and prob still a pervasive attitude of pay as little tax as possible because you never get anything, whether its students, sickness beneficiaries, unemployed, young parents, etc , whereas the rich always avoid taxes and are the first to get handouts. Maybe that is not the case, but that was the general attitude.
But here in Sweden, there are those who work what are called (Black jobs / Svart Jobb), we called under the table pay which is not taxed, but the general attitude in society is taxes are good, and we get a lot back. Paid parental leave for some 400 days, sickness benefit, parents can take leave to stay home with sick children up to age of 12 and get paid by government (VAB) and so on...
@@JawadOfficial... unemployment rate in Sweden for 2020 was 8.45% up from 6.83 in 2019
@@monolap222 At the time of writing I didn't think it was particularly important which country I had come from, since the talk was about Sweden, but I was talking about my home country of New Zealand, from 1977 - 2003 when I left to travel the world, eventually settling in Sweden. I speak only of my own experiences, that of my family and my friends who are still in New Zealand and paying taxes there
High taxrates does only work in countrys with low corruption😐
Besides, the more money you earn the higher taxes you pay.
Fair enough for me.
While in other countries is absolutely the opposite.
@@chrissky1772 Well morally speaking the phrase "All are creating equal and the law is to be imposed the same for everyone" would have to change
@@alexanderg8466
It would apply if we all were born at least in similar situations or circunstances.
Besides law is not written on stone. You can change it according to the reality.
Saddly, the ones in power to this most of the time are living in alternate realities.
Facts
@@alexanderg8466 my guy, the law is equal to everyone. Money is not part of a person. The law says that if a person accumulates X amount of money, u pay Y percent in taxes. You are wrong and dumb
We travel between Sweden & England a few times a year, every year. We've actively done the comparison many many times. In England you actually end up paying more when you factor in all the other ways they (private & government) tax you.
Where British taxpayer money goes is a mystery, because the entire infrastructure is crumbling, inefficient & massively weighted towards the wealthy, yet in Sweden the money clearly & visibly gets used to improve everyone's lives.
It really doesn't matter how much they pay in taxes, it matters how it gets used.
No, i live in Sweden, and we are not happy to pay tax's!
@@Snickeran You are not happy, that´s the difference!
You should come and live in Latin America for a while my friend. You’d be more grateful of what you have back home!
@@Alejoacuna same for my part of Africa, taxes are being increased yet we don't even see any form of development happening in the country. Basic things like healthcare are a major problem. When politicians have a serious illness, they even fly out to get treatment abroad. It's messed up. If my country was like Sweden, life would be a breeze for us.
I think the British taxpayer money goes to the crown. Those greedy royals!
Some people are very concerned about freedom in the U.S. But there is one freedom they don't even consider and that is being free of fear and anxiety. Being free of the fear that an illness will bankrupt your family or being free of the anxiety of how you will pay for your or your children's education without going massively into debt is a freedom well worth paying higher taxes for.
Great point.
My only problem with high taxes is that
(1) they could be funnelled into a tyrannical government - something I am very aware that it could happen just as history tells us
(2) if it were to implemented, I would want the system to be voluntary, I should be able to decide where my money goes. After all, I worked for it.
Apart from that, I see Universal Health Care as a win for all individuals involved
Sweden is a small country that until recently was inhabited by mostly swedes meaning a swede wouldn't mind helping a fellow swede but since yall let thousands of Muslims in your country who don't believe in any of what you just said, I wonder how long before your views change
@@missourimongoose8858 immigration is an ok debate to be had; but not when a lot of the resentment fueling it comes from the anxiety caused by the state of our local crumbling systems.
@@Michael_Chater That's why it will never happen in US. And how do you combine voluntary tax with universal free medial care? The idea with tax funded MC, child care and support etc, social security in short, is that all pay a portion to those in need, won't work in a greedy, selfish society where tax is mainly considered stealing a.k.a USA...
Me and my fiance never got kids, still in good health so in a sense we got the "short stick" but that's ok, our society seems like a more sensible one, we don't have to worry the way you do. Have a look in World Happiness Report. To me it says low tax does not correlate with "happiness" , look how US fare... and still so many of u obsess about it.
But ok, I guess seeing how some, too many of those in congress and house have been operating thru decades, self-serving more than anything else, I can to some extent understand you are a bit relunctant to pay tax, but on the other hand, you put them there...
When I visited Sweden about 15 years ago I did some reading on their policies and general way of life and was surprised at the level of taxation that was going on there... But after I learned what they actually GET for their tax dollars I wasn’t surprised at all to see that most Swedes seem pretty satisfied with the arrangement. And why wouldn’t you be? If you don’t have to spend money on education, child care and health care you actually have quite a bit of disposable income left over. $180/mth for child care... here in Ontario, Canada it’s almost 10 times that amount. It’s insane.
Things have really changed since 2015
Aren't Canadian tax dollars get used well?
Problem is, we are taxed so high that we are reliant on the benifits to get by.
Ask a swede if they could keep all their money, and only pay for the services they use.
They are totaly confused by the concept!.
I have 4 kids and have paid through taxs for their child care, school and college. I will continue to pay for other kids untill i die through taxation.
@@Snickeran Thats just selfish whining! I've paid tax for decades and have been healthy so far, no kids but I pay my taxes without whining. You have 4 kids, so you have gotten, will get far more "back" than I...
Child support 120 euro/month per child until each kid at home reach 18 years! Probably got highly subsidized child care for them as well, max 135 euro per kid while true cost is about 10 times that.
I hope they are all in god health, would you still like the idea that everyone has to pull their own weight if, lets say you had a child with chronic disease or your wife got cancer? If you think you would have handled that better with an median salary and lower tax you are truly stupid! Soon your parents might need elderly care, you don't have to worry about that either, at least not financially. I'm happy there aren't that many of you... You're carpenter aren't you? You and your four children of choise has costed far more than you have paid in tax this far, u think it would have been easier in say US with that and on top of that saving for their higher education as well? Stupid, do the math and be happy you live in s country that distribute tax, You're a winner that whines because You're to stupid to realize it.
@@andersriksson100 he earn more he spend more = taxed more socialist in Sweden
Important to note is that Sweden is one of the countries with the lowest corruption rate in the world. I am very happy to pay taxes knowing the money comes back to me in one way or another, or that I help someone else, and that I don’t have to worry about insurances. But in other countries this is not possible until the high level of corruption stops. It’s a balance. - with this said, Sweden is not perfect and I’m sure some of my money during my life time will go to something I do not support.
The question not answered in the video is what is the tax rate? If not a progressive tax, Is it a simple percentage of income? A flat rate for everyone?
@@connorthecombee Some people/cultures aren't selfish and understand that they may not use everything their taxes help fund but others do and they are better , happier, healthier , far more educated, have far less crime and that bettering the whole community benefits everyone.
@Connor Maddox, With theft you get nothing back ever. In Sweden, and other civilized countries, when you pay taxes you get something back always. Knowing people benefiting from public services while hiding their fat income via financial loopholes I see why coercion is sometimes necessary. I also think we should use force with the politicians that aren’t fit for their job, and we should demand a report of how public money is spent. How are you imagining to maintain your roads in a zero-tax world?
@@shellyveley9515 so you don't mind that Muslim immigrants created no go zones in your county so they can get your handouts? How long do you think that can last?
Spot on. This would never work in the US because the politicians would waste months debating how to spend it, if they even agree on setting rates or even to collect taxes in the first place.
Europeans: We like paying taxes so that everyone can have a better welfare service.
Americans: I don't like the gov't using my tax to pay for lazy people.
That's because you love your fellow citizens - Americans hate their fellow citizens. It's a fact. If it's not hate then it's pure indifference to the suffering of others. "I'm alright Jack" sums up American social life and human relations.
no more like in America we aren't Marxist scum (or at least Republicans aren't)
@@ericboxer3053 fact check
Sweeden is a social democratic country, a system that combines a free market captialist economy with a fairly large welfare state. Study after study after study has proven that it is a FACT of all captialist systems this one provides the best outcomes, the healthiest economies and the highest quality of life
@@ericboxer3053 Tell loudly to these people want free stuff
US is unique country it thrives on hard work and talent of a person and that’s why it’s no1 innovative country
Lazy people don’t deserve free stuff
I hate paying tax for criminals to have an easy life in prison, why not use them as a labour force? Basics
Her scottish accent is so strong!
and beautiful.
Its a swedish and i cant tell if ur joking so please dont woosh
Edit: oh nvm i thought u meant the woman in the beginning, i am reading as im watching
@@adamsvensson8205 i know this feeling haha
its a mix of both swedish and scottish
@@themintyduck651 i quite like it tho
I’m a Swede with a pretty average income. I pay only 30% tax. I have a chronic health condition that requires medication and lifelong treatment. I’m also on sick leave because of it almost every month for a couple of days. I can’t imagine what my treatment would have cost without our free healthcare. I might be also easily fired for so many sick leaves if not for our labor laws and unions. I also get paid 80% for every sick day I need, and they are unlimited. I hate being sick and missing out so much on life. But I’m so grateful for all the support I get from the state that makes my life easier. I would have happily paid more taxes for the same benefits. I’m not even mentioning the free education and excellent public infrastructure.
Do your coworkers resent you for missing work? That’s what I imagine would happen as an American.
@@beepboop1391 no, not at all. They only feel sorry for me. No one thinks I’m faking being sick. The times when I tried to push through and work through the pain of my attacks (fever and massive abdominal pain) they were worried sick and wanted to call me an ambulance 😅 when I told them this is my life and I’m not in danger, just in a lot of pain, they were heartbroken and called me a cab to go rest at home. Their workload doesn’t increase when I’m sick, no one has to cover for me. No one expects me to work from home when I’m sick.
My quality of life is crap. I’m always worried of an attack sneaking up on me and put me in bed for the next 3 days. The attack triggers are random and varied and almost anything can cause one. So I resent my body for failing me. I’ve missed so many important things in life because I was sick.
@@beepboop1391 That happens in shithole 'Murika because 'Murikans let their jobs dictate their lives. That doesn't happen in civilized nations.
You're actually paying over 50% in taxes.
First the employer pays the state 30% in taxes on your gross salary for employing you. Then you pay around 26% income tax on your gross salary. And then, on that net salary, you're taxed sales tax on every purchase, which is around 20%.
So if you calculate that, it's easily over 50%.
@@jamelhudson8445 And yet Swedes are still able to live full, happier lives and actually spend time with their families and afford vacations and have friends and not have their jobs dictate their lives despite that, even if it were true. The opposite of the majority of 'Murikans.
"Several university degrees"... damn.
And while you study you may take a loan for living expenses for 762 €/month at 0.05 interest and you get 331€/month as a thank you for educating your self. This you can get for a total of 6 years (summer months excluded).
A well educated population is great for society as a whole with obvious benefits for both the state and the individual. There seems to be a fair bit of criticism of Sweden and similar nations, in particular the US but if it was a choice between the two systems I'd definitely choose Sweden as I think most would. Sweden should be proud they think in broader terms rather than a me, me, me type of attitude.
.
He also said he'd studied for six years so I'm pretty sure "several" meant two or three. ^^
@@QueenMegaera If you optimize you could get out 4 bachelor degrees in 6 years without reading courses simultaneously. (100% study pace) but you can read up to 150% so 6 years can result in 6 degrees.
@@andreasostensson5747 1,15% interest stop spreading false information
American here. I work in DMV area. DC is a rathole. I’ve lived all around the world. I did my first trip to Stockholm and rode a train to jukkasjärvi. Hands down Sweden is the most beautiful place on this planet. I’ve never felt more safe and secure than I have there and was in aw the whole time over it’s beauty
Hard for this system to work with a country who have weak currency and high population 30 million and above for example. To add to that its impossible if the corrupt politicians are ruling the country.
Exactly 10 mln is like a state or province in some countries plus you ain’t counting the diversity factor or homogeneity which Sweden has
@@thecapatalistpropagator_9470 True. When the world showing New Zealand is managing its covid situation very good. Well... yeah they have like 4 million people other countries triple that amount of people living. It's comparing apple to orange. Same goes to this system
In Sweden we habe actuall working anti-corruption laws and systems. Not like in the US where blatant corruption is normal and legal...
@@felixlindfors7777 People who's working in the anti corruption agency is also corrupted. The differences is Swedish has higher mentaliti. Pretty sure you have that as well but very minimal
@@Amr_D We don't have a lot of corruption here, the politicians do the peoples work, not the corporations work. And I think we alaso do have a mentality too nopt accept bribes in our culture.
I gotta laugh when people say "I got healthcare/education for free" when they did not, they paid for it heavily in taxes. It was not even remotely "free." If you are down with that then more power to you, but I most certainly am not.
So you don’t like education and healthcare. Maybe you should try to live in a third-world country, the taxes are certainly much lower.
Healthcare and education are worth the high taxes.
Would you rather live in a society that lacked healthcare and education?
@@Peter_1986Swedish healthcare is a hoax, a mockery. As a Swede I travel to countries like Turkey when I need to see a doctor and need treatment. I have never gotten any proper treatment in Sweden... 2 months waiting to get to "vårdcentralen" only to meet an incompetent doctor who sends a "remiss" to a specialized doctor, another 3 months of waiting... and if you absolutely can't wait anymore you go to "akuten" and wait in line for 14 hours to see a doctor only to return home with an "alvedon" no matter the symptoms.... I complained for over a year to doctors that something was wrong with my throat but they couldn't find anything. It got so bad I started coughing blood... I went to Turkey, they said I had an inflammation from a scar coming from my nose. I got treatment and returned home to Sweden like a newborn within 2 weeks. Swedish healthcare is a joke. The education system isn't very bright either..... so much for paying taxes.
Is that not worth it? We have people struggling to pay off 300k in school debt in the USA while they're only making 60k to 80k. Still paying 25% income tax. It'd be freeing to not have to pay forbit directly but instead indirectly thru a predictable tax without interest.
Nice thumbnail, she doesn't look crazy at all.
Taxesssess
If a friend had't sent me this, I had never clicked the psycho lady.
She wants to teach you about socialism
@@fullmetaltheorist These countries are capitalistic but capitalism is harnessed so that it benefits everyone, not just the rich.
@@jensstergard9380 Yeah I was just trying to make a joke about how socialists look kinda crazy.
Lmao they speak better english than britons
Sweden is known to be the country that has most experience in the english launguage outside britain and the american colonies. Often children in the age of 10 can speak fluent english.
U wot mate! Ow dare u. 🤣
@@AngloSupreme I can't understand what you are saying!😅
@@albinrudfell5356 🧐 you what mate! How dare you - an English way of saying you're a cheeky so and so. 🤗
@@AngloSupreme I must say, you're the best pirate I've ever seen
Name another country that is happy taxes or at least content with how it's being used, I would guess a few. Majority of countries around the world misuse taxpayer's money.
🇮🇳
I bet Norway, Denmark and maybe Finland feel like we do.
Sweden's goverment don't spend their money well at all, they aren't following the original definition of social democracy and spend it on useless things like criminals.
EXACTLY
@@KasperochSiri Absolutely they do :)
Swedish with a strong Scottish accent
Yes?
@@Takkion :)
We have the same in Belgium.
Sky high taxes of which, on paper, a lot goes to healthcare, education and public services.
It's only that the quality sucks donkey balls and a lot of money gets lost because of 7 governments in this handkerchief covering country.
High taxes in itself might not be the problem. The problem is the government related to it. In all other endevours, monopolies are seen as bad. Governments prove why that is.
Are gouvernement is corrupt and also are country don’t really work as one unified country. Just look at or road it’s a shame.
Interestingly, Sweden also has the highest fertility rate in the west. It's just too expensive to have children in places like the USA, where parental leave is a guaranteed 12 weeks, but no guarantee of income during parental leave. Some employers offer parental leave payments, but the vast majority do not.
Only the very rich and very poor can afford to have children in the USA (the very poor will qualify for welfare and medicaid, however, the very poor frequently are homeless or living in their cars. If a new parent is homeless, the state will frequently place their children in foster care due to being unable to provide shelter for their kids.
It's not surprising that people are not having children. When you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, going 3 months without a paycheck just isn't an option.
Sweden does not have a high fertility rate.
Immigrants are breeding at high rates at the expense of taxpayers who love feeding them so much
native swedes dont get that many children, usually 1 or 2. Its the new swedes that have a lot of children.
Why dont they show the tax bands so we can compare easily?
I totally agree. I have been living in Sweden for 25 years, and I can vouch for the fact that the reason why taxes are not a problem is that the system is well managed. You know everyone is well taken care of and you get value for your money. Then it is no problem to pay taxes. I am quite sure it is less expensive to do it that way than to fund everything privately.
@Lo Fell I am not sure you know what you are talking about. Sweden has a very performant economy, and is a major exporter of high tech gear and services. That is precisely how we can afford the welfare, you see. Our niche is more on industrial solutions than consumer goods, which explains why people don't see "made in Sweden" very often, but a portion of the world infrastructure runs on Swedish machines and softwares.
@@laurentdrozin812 You can't reason with voracious capitalists.
@@McShag420 I think a lot of it is misinformation. Sweden is a capitalistic country, with free enterprise and private property and all, but there is also a realization that some balance has to be maintained between the good of the many and the good of a succesful few. The last thing we want is downtrodden masses with pitchfork toppling society because there is nothing in it for them.
@Lo Fell fyi Sweeden has a higher startup rate per capita than the US ...
No. Stop lying.
I think you would find this has changed. Swedish politicians talk more bs these days, and deliver less.
As a Swede I hate taxes and do everything I can to avoid it as much as possible.
As an American, if we were forced to pay 70% in income taxes, we'd be overthrowing the government.
Just saying...
Wow. I had never thought of Sweden framed as a welfare state, let alone a country that uses welfare first instead of a last resort like the US. That's powerful.
One important point is that the taxes are paid for us in Sweden, it is subtracted from the salary before we get it for example. So, most ppl are not involved in actively paying taxes and therefore do not know how much they pay (or miss out on), like in the US. It's quite a good system.
50% taxes if you earn more than $5000/month yikes
@@Titbitist yes, it sounds like a lot but then also, we pay a maximum of $200 per year for healthcare and a maximum of $250 per year for medication :)
@@annaaas The main problem of Sweden is deporting skilled immigrants, and keeping fake refugees.
50% is too much. I believe 30% on a salary of 50000 SEK right
?
So it's a good thing that people aren't aware of how much they pay in taxes?
It is incredibly easy to pay taxes in Sweden;
you literally just check a couple papers that the tax agency has already filled in for you, and then you send your identification code to them as a signature, which you can actually do in the form of a text message! So you can realistically do Swedish taxes in like 2-3 minutes during a walk.
Seems like a breeze compared to what I hear in other countries like the US
@@mirm0n The main difference is that all of the actual numerical values are already entered for Swedish tax payers, so Swedish people just need to check those numbers and make sure that they are correct, and this can indeed be done in a few minutes.
Whilst we happily pay our taxes for the costs in society we are not happy about the ever increasing ways for the government to squeeze ordinary people on ordinary wages out of more taxes.
Scandinavia - along with Britain - is the only region of the world to have a democratic tradition dating back to the middle ages, so there's an expectation that the government will act in the interest of the people & if it isn't, it's not really fulfilling its proper role as a government, something which we take for granted but is absent in most of the world, even in cultures even as nearby as France.
What do you mean with democratic tradition?
@@freedomclub2285 The Swedish "tingsrätt" and Norwegian "storting", both judiciary institutions, have their roots in the democratic "ting", which prior to the christianization of Scandinavia were not only used as courts, but also for legislation.
The system is not clearly understood, but we have a long history of elected chieftains, as well as elected royalty (see Gustaf Wasa).
I am very happy with paying my taxes so everyone can have a decent life. And my children had free school with free meals. Nearly free healthcare is Fantastic too.
People in California left the state to avoid paying 13% tax while people in Sweden pay over 50% tax and they're happy with that.
A regular worker and even the ones getting really good salaries (up to around $5000 a month) pay about 33% taxes. If you have a salary over a certain ammount you still pay 33% in taxes however the money you earn over that limit you pay 50% taxes! Then of course food and other products have a couple of SEK tax which just makes the products slightly pricier but it is not much of a difference
Fun fact, I’m from New York and we pay more taxes than Sweden, but I hit potholes on every street and there are homeless on every corner.
As a Swede, I do not think this holds true for most ppl (atleast not my friends). Not even the ones who are very outspoken socialists. It's come to a point where (I think) most ppl think the goverment are wasting our money and you getting less and less for all the taxes you pay.
Word
It's not only people's trust on tax system. But also the trust on whole public institutions.
I guess you are not swedish
🤔 eh who are you speaking on behalf for? Not me. The trust for our institutions are at rock bottom compared to what it was before and the trend is still showing that this curve won't stop anytime soon as the way the politicians behave today.
If you look at the overall taxation rate (all collected taxes as a % GDP 2020, OECD) you will find the following countries at the top 10 list.: 1. Denmark, 2. France, 3. Belgium, 4. Italy, 5. Finland, 6. Austria, 7. Sweden, 8. Norway, 9. Hungary, 10. Luxembourg. It would be interesting if BBC could do a video on how the people in France, Belgium and Italy view their high taxes.
That Swedish sociologist who did her Ph.D. in Scotland might have told us a little more about her background because it sounds like she went to Scotland from Sweden, did a Ph.D., came back to Sweden armed with her doctorate AND a STRONG Scottish accent. LOL
well.. health care is NOT free (unthinkable in Slovakia) :D no matter your taxes. They have to pay for day care for the kids (unthinkable in Slovakia). The transport is extremelye xpensive, housing takes more than half of your salary. Eating out is so expensive that people barely do that here. You need to pay your union and your unemployment fund yourself. What I really like is education being free. HOWEVER. A student room costs more than a 4 room apartment in Slovakia. And don't just think you can suck the system. They will well remember how much they spent on your education when you ask for a citizenship without having worked for ages to compensate for the loss you caused to the state....
I heard the taxes is also quite high on low-income people, is it true?
No
@simon c no
@simon c 30%! wt rly that's insane
If you are making 3600 dollars/ 30 000 kr you pay around 722$/6000 kr in taxes. Seems fair to me, bc thats only 20%
Yea although people here still have more money leftover from their salary if you compare with the US where you can work for slave salary like 7.25 dollar...
We have the same system in Norway too, an also in Denmark and Finland.
Probably in several other countries too in the northern Europe.
LOL. That's pretty sad. Completely dependent on the government.
Enjoy it when it gets up to 90%.
Do you get a discount if you dont have dependants?
The tax is based on how much you earn. If you earn less then a certain amount then you don't pay any tax. The tax is taken of your paycheck automatically and if you have payed to much taxes one year then you will get the money back as tax-returns the next year. If you know that you will earn less than a certain amount in a year then you can apply to pay less in tax, however, if you have payed to little in tax then you will owe money the next year. If you rent then you don't pay any tax (to the state) for that appartment, the landlord may include an amount in the rent to cover his/hers taxes for the business of being a landlord. That is just some of it. There are many things we do pay tax for an many thing that we can reduct in the declaration (which can all be done online with just a few clicks). I am swedish and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.
@@KasperochSiri The limit is 8000 SEK per year in order to protect minors from having to pay taxes if they get a summer job, for example.
@@CriticalRoleHighlights I usa är det 120 000kr per år. Ganska stor skillnad från 8 000kr.
No. "From each according to abilty, to each according to need" is what the system is based on. Young working people put in more than they get although they still have better finances than parents, children are expensive.
@@KasperochSiri They also tax the poor (me) I barely have enough for food and rent because they choose to tax the very little amount i earn. The most common health issue among poor people are dental problems, which healthcare don't cover, i'm in debt now. As a Scandinavian iv'e never experienced the "benefits" of healtcare through taxation, quite the opposite in fact. Sorry for the rant, i just don't get this system and i find it hard to wrap my head around that so many are okay with it..
Do people living in rural areas feel the same?
Yes, it's called polling look it up
Generally yes. Rural areas vote left (worker backgrounds) but also complain about too much focus being put on the big city regions. Stockhol (the capital) is a strongpoint for the right wing.
@@afgor1088 why look it up if I have such gracious people replying to me?
@@macharim Thanks for the reasonable answer.
There are several factors that make it challenging for people to become rich in Sweden. Firstly, Sweden has a high tax rate, which means that individuals with higher incomes have a significant portion of their earnings deducted. Additionally, the cost of living in Sweden is generally higher compared to other countries, making it harder for individuals to accumulate wealth. Moreover, the Swedish welfare system provides extensive social benefits, which can discourage some individuals from pursuing entrepreneurial ventures or taking financial risks. This can hinder the accumulation of wealth and make it harder to achieve financial prosperity. Additionally, the cost of living in Sweden is relatively high, which can limit disposable income and make it more difficult for individuals to save and invest in wealth-building opportunities. Their is high taxes in sweden but healthcare and educations is bad since the government allocates a significant portion of tax revenue towards social welfare programs. However, the quality of healthcare and education may not always meet the expectations of individuals, leading to dissatisfaction and potential limitations in accessing necessary services. Moreover, the high taxes can also discourage innovation and entrepreneurship, as individuals may feel burdened by the financial obligations imposed by the government.
This is simply not true. Sweden is among the top ten countries with the most billionaires per one million inhabitants of all OECD countries. Google it. According to Eurostat statistics, the proportion of entrepreneurs is the same as the average for the EU, and Sweden usually ranks very high in international comparisons for entrepreneurship. Stockholm produces the second-highest number of billion-dollar tech companies per capita, after Silicon Valley. Again, google it. Giving people the opportunity to get an education regardless of their family background and the knowledge that there is a safety net encourages people to dare to try new things, to take risks, to dare to invest in education. I recommend Economics Explained episode called "The Economy of Sweden" to learn more. I was the first in my family to go to university and I am very grateful that others Swedes paid taxes and made it possible. Now I am proud to be able to contribute myself.
I'm from USA. How many Swedish citizens were born there? Have parents & Grandparents who were born in Sweden? I'm curious if there is a "Swedish Culture" or "Swedish Way" because the vast majority of Swedish citizens have ancestors who have lived in Sweden for a very long time.
Here in USA we have so much diversity of everything and I'd like to better understand how heavily socialized Sweden seems to make their form of government work.
80% of Swedish people are Swedish Swedish then another 7-10% other nordic people another 10% for immigrants that have family originating from other countries not nearby. This is not accounting for assimilated people of other countries.
There is some tension mainly because the right like to flare up the issue, its an issue but not a catastrophe and does not at all affect the average swede's daily life.
Im pretty sure i do mind, but is very good
I am from Sweden and i hate taxes
Ok no one asked
I agree
@@afgor1088 no one asked you to answer my comment
@@Titbitist same for you
Ive watched this and Im still baffled why another human being is okay with paying for another man's stuff. Because thats what this is
Yes they(i am included) are paying to another human being but not as you think. Sweden have huge, lazy administration.
And money are not going where they are supposed to go, but the problem is to many brainwashed people and nobody is asking that. Sweden is not egalitarian country, on index of wealth distribution is on 20th place in the world.
You also pay for your own stuff? What is this point.
soo i was thinking about to live in sweden ( right now in germany) and i was always a little nervous about how this high tax system works. I hope someone can give me a short answer or help to understand it better. So I dont have to worry about my own money as.. a well lets say cashier or something like this because of the high taxes? Do i get more money then because of it so everything is in balance or do i missunderstand something about the system. Its not that i dont see the benefits of it with the healthcare etc. but i was always wondering how it is to come as a new single living person in sweden. Hope someone could have a answer for it.
I know your comment was 5 months ago but I'll answer anyway.
Your expenses would be less than in many other countries, certainly much less than in the US. The difference with Germany is considerably smaller but still noticeable. That's the main thing really. Things like healthcare are not free, you pay for every visit, but the costs are very heavily subsidised to make sure you never pay more than roughly 200 EUR in one year (with a similar, separate maximum sum for medication). What this means is that if you're only very occasionally in need of a doctor, it's not that cheap, but if you're long-term ill you get a better "deal" than arguably anywhere else on Earth. This is totally in line with the Swedish desire to help those most vulnerable the most.
The taxes are deducted by your employer before they pay your salary so you never really pay it yourself. The salaries are broadly the same as anywhere else, or lower (certainly lower than the US) but you need less money to survive. In your example of a cashier, the taxes wouldn't actually be that much higher than most other countries because you wouldn't earn enough for the taxes to get really high (since Sweden has a progressive tax system, as was stated in the video).
@@TheLastCrusader22 ahh thank you for your answer ^^
Denmark, Austria, France and some other countrys has higher...
Probably not. Those comparisons does not include all taxes, only the most visible ones.
Making cross-country comparisons is always tricky because taxes are levied differently in each country, but the Nordic tend to be at the top. Followed by the Netherlands, Austria and Japan. But this is when we talk about income tax. When we include indirect taxes, VAT and cooperate tax it all gets rather murky.
In India we pay taxes but the govt never improve any thing govt school are not in good condition, govt hospitals hope so our govt could learn something from swiss govt, they should conduct classes or something to teach other govt, that it is compulsory or your duty to work for the people who have elected you.
Hahaha! Indian politicians are corrupt.
Looking at the thumbnail, I thought this would be sketch of some sort...
I guess it's a combination of trust in government and what the tax money is spent on.
If there was anything close to ideal.. it's Scandinavia. I wish I could move there one day.
Not Scandinavia, the Nordic countries. Finland and Iceland are also great and has many of the same benefits as the Scandinavian countries :)
Ideal? Lol. You don't know how depressed the people in nordic countries are 😂.
@@miguelferreira4157 No. Scandinavia is Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Nordics is Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
@@beewithab6122 Weird, they are the happiest countries in the world.
Don't be fooled. Taxation in Sweden is disgusting and tax payers get steadily rising crime, worse and worse services and incompetent/ uneducated bureaucrats and politicians. Used to be one of the richest countries in the world (per capita), now barely top 10. Cap gain taxes are ok thugh but thats about it. Thrilled I left the country but still sad to see the terrible development.
I would love to save up and move to Sweden. I feel like I'd be less worried about a lot of things. Though I'd probably have to gain citizenship to get any sort of benefits, it'd be worth it to not worry about getting sick/injured.
Taxes for free healthcare and free education is okay. But, for military industrial complex and for people who choose to be unemployed and get welfare? No.
1/10 get financial aid in sweden and we are only 10 million people haha
The asylum seekers certainly trust you ,
What they fail to mention is the 30% national insurance equivalent tax that your employers pay to the government in addition to your income tax. If you're employed and your net pay is £2000 a month then your take-home pay will be ca £1400, but you'll be costing your employer £2600 to employ you. If you are self-employed, you have to pay the social tax fee yourself in addition to your income tax, meaning that if you earn £2000 per month, you would take home just £800 every month. (Income tax varies from about 7 - 60 %, but standard is 30%. Max you can earn per year without paying any income tax is £140)
Also, despite the huge tax rate, a lot of things aren't actually free at the point of access, as a lot of people seem to think. Seeing a GP or specialist costs 200 - 350 kr per visit, which is about £18-30. If you need to go to the hospital, you will be charged a 100 kronor fee per day for 'rent and food.' Even opening a bank account will incur a fee of around £4 a month.
So income tax at 30% avg is a little lower than the US avg and corporate taxes are lower but per-employee tax is much higher. Makes a kind of sense to me, I’m guessing there’s a lot less firing and hiring and more stability. I wonder what the comparable effective taxes wind up as eg for a small company of 25 employees and personally vs revenue to the government between the countries. Seems a bit better than the taxation systems we use in Canada though our labour markets are probablymore flexible than Sweden’s.
Dont forget the sales tax on 25% of most things except food. Added taxation on everything that make life worth living such as booze, tobacco, fuel, cars
@@Leffe123 YES Sven we feel for u and your lousy circumstances and hope you find a better country, preferably to move to.
@@andersriksson100 mycket vill ha mer, precis som politikerna ;)
What happens there if you are caught dodging paying taxes.
Prison, for long
That guy and his wife on leave for 1.5 years while their kids are at daycare WTF
And not being ashamed, i would
This is exemplary. The thought that everyone is looked after. I wish we could implement something similar in my nation as well. We have a lot to learn from the Swedes
I live in sweden (for 30 years) and it sounds way better than it is. Sounds like she just googled sweden to be honest.
It's great to hear that you find the Swedish model inspiring and believe that your nation could learn from it. The Swedish welfare state indeed serves as an example for many countries around the world. However, it's important to note that every country has its unique cultural, social, and economic factors that need to be considered when designing and implementing such systems.
The key is to understand the principles and values underlying the Swedish model, such as a strong commitment to social equality and a robust welfare system. From there, adaptation and customization can be done to suit the specific needs and circumstances of your nation.
It may be worthwhile to explore initiatives and policies that prioritize public welfare, social cohesion, and equality within the available resources and capabilities. Learning from successful examples like Sweden can provide valuable insights and inspiration for developing your own national approach to social well-being.
I live in sweden and I don't mind paying tax, as long as it goes to the common wealth, witch it does for the main part.
(I live in sweden)
Taxes:1000sek pls or 100$ pls
Me:Nah
Hello, I noticed you are seldomly here and I would love to get to know you better here is my number let's text on WhatsApp.
+1909-323-3292
Yeah.. but what if you get a huge influx of migrants that have not put money into the system but will get a lot of benefits? And probably some of them will leave as soon as they can get a better deal
@Schwarzer Haufen Calm down and it was not racist to begin with.
@@pepegaclap1724 R/woooosh
I was pissed at the guy who boasted about his 5 university degrees, 3 years rest, and childcare expenses having been paid by tax payers without he contributing!! Personally I have paid taxes for the past 52 years without receiving any direct benefit from any gov’t in this time period. I imagine my father’s taxes paid for my primary and secondary education. In university in the USA I got one year exemption from tuition although I graduated with high honors
Rest? Because raising children is so relaxing right? Truly it is an awful thing that you are afforded so much time with your children, what good could possibly come from being raised by present, engaged, loving parents that care about you? And in Sweden, you're not even allowed to beat your innocent, helpless child when they misbehave! Truly horrific
You're American, so I don't expect you to ever really understand it, it's just a fundamentally different mindset. In the US, everbody looks out for themselves. In Sweden, we take care of eachother. Yes, he could stay home for a while to raise his kid (for a year and a half by the way, not 3) but here's the thing: when he's back working someone else can do the same and then he will be paying for them (no doubt a lot too, seeing how he's got a high-paying job). Everyone can do it, yes you can expect to be given this luxury but you can also expect others to do the same thing you did. In that respect, it's totally fair. I certainly prefer it to a system based on doubting and being suspicious of your neighbours and their intentions, and it's well known the American system is far behind on basic human decency
One big problem here in Sweden is the healthcare system. Although emergency rooms are usually effective, primary and specialist doctor appointments require hurdles to jump over and bureaucracy in order to get said meeting.
Also, taxes benefit families a lot more than people who are single.
I live in sweden and if you love taxes then pay mine then. Never heard about this? Who loves paying taxes lmao
Well said.
@Hugh Mungus you’re an idiot mate
@Hugh Mungus we all pay taxes.. its a matter of "loving"
Nobody loves taxes..
@Hugh Mungus First of it is not about being selfish and second taxes benefit communities when they go to the right thing. The health care in Sweden is poo, the care for the elderly is poo, the housing is poo and while i agree that taxes are good. They are only good when the government uses them well.
There are many of us Swedes who are tired of the enormous taxes. Many of us expect to leave the country when we retire in order to have a tolerable life. Many who want to run their own business refrain precisely because of the taxes, even though they would really like to be their own. The tax is beyond the individual's control. Everything is definitely not positive.
0:02 Yeah I am not convinced...
Taxes are high in Canada as well and a lot of tax revenue is wasted due to corruption, etc
Im swedish and everyone i know thinks the taxes are too high. I think you cherry picked people to fit your agenda.
What a puff piece.
Literally no one I ever met likes the high taxes here. Everyone knows a lot of the taxes are wasted on bad thought out systems, like the the school system or the welfare system (that does not work as intended but seems like it work for the ignorant middleclass). If you get sick and needs the welfare system, you actually pay taxes from that money too even if that money comes from taxes... what kind of scam system is that? People also think taxes are like 30% only because that is what it says on the salary, but its actually more like 80% after you also bought something with the money and after all the hidden tax the company you work for have have to subtract from your money before they pay you.
Legendas em Português, por favor.
No we are not!
Nice try BBC but I dont wanna pay mote tax. My country doesn't use them efficiently as it is.
We also need to talk to the employment service, the social security office, etc. why it is still very mildly said completely mathematically impossible to earn a living in the country full time and it has not improved over the decades. Fredrik
We're in an age when facts don't matter, we just want to be comforted that our circumstances are the best they can be. It doesn't really matter that high taxes work well with a competent government if someone's from a country where that's just not a part of the foreseeable future.
As a swede I am not pleased with paying so high taxes
BBC.... all you need to know....
This is a matter that splits Swedish society in a 50-50 division.
Here in Australia we pay childcare $105 per day minimum up to $170 depending on the quality of childcare centre and what it offers.
If you are a high income earner of $180k or so as a family you almost get no rebate from the government.
Medicare cover general health but anything else such as operation of your choice you can wait for the public hospital system or choose a private hospital where you will pay some difference to cover the costs
Still lucky to live here but middle and high income earners are taxed 50% herd in Australia
So if you don't invest in property that double every 7-10 yrs to make up the difference you are screwed
A good system for Sweden it seems at a glance but you need to be careful of those who come to abuse the system - looks to be happening throughout Europe.
lol now 25% of their population..Sweden is finished in the next 30 years max
@@ericboxer3053 24.9 % have a foreign background with Finnish being the most popular. Compare that with the US.
@@AngloSupreme yea the us only 14%
Isnt happening in Sweden yet thankfully.
@@ericboxer3053 That statistic is mainly from neighbouring countries and saami people.
As a Swede i must call BS on this... No we do not like paying taxes.. The government employees often say they do but that's because they live of the taxes.
Agreed, big time bullsh*t. Thanks for telling them. So sick of fake news with agendas
The services that they received are private? Like the estate uses the welfare money to pay private schools and hospitals?
Must be something in the water for sure, in my country taxes are for politicians pockets directly
Watch "Sweden: Lessons for America?"
I dont want to pay for migration:(
I live in Sweden, I can't for the life of me understand when they say health care is for free in Sweden.. Because it's not totally free... You do end up paying everytime you visit a doctor or a nurse or if you visit the hospital, plus you pay for the ambulance ride for the hospital. I am not sure about it but I feel as though swedes just say that they know where their tax money is going because every year when we do your taxes and we receive the blue envelope it's as though no one understands the content of it. They just pay the tax and that's it. And you might not pay for tuition in Sweden but since the live costs are very high you end up taking out loans. Some middle class sweds have their parents helping them out so they don't take out loans or if they do its not a big loan.
Yup, and you're paying high taxes for it, so it's obviously not free. I have no idea why people keep saying this crap. I just ask Americans if they are okay with paying double what they currently do for taxes to support the system. That shuts them up rreeaaallll quick. Also health care for most isn't even too expensive because many workplaces give it to you or offer you pretty good deals. There is also a reason why charitable donations are a thing and are rewarded with tax breaks. There are also many programs to help the needy as well, government programs. Almost all of America's government spending is already going towards welfare. I don't know why people keep saying that American's don't care about our own because our actions clearly show that we do.
If Corbyn had got in our country would of been like this, a way better standard of life for most of us,
If it is clear where the money goes and invested towards increasing the standard of living of the society then it is a good thing to pay high tax. the worries here are do everybody is fairly taxed, do everybody benefit from it, does it also funded immigrants that did not contributed to tax, and those who are rich will ask why do they need to contribute to those who work less than them, and those who are poor who demand more free stuff but did not contribute much to tax
How much tax to refugees and immigrants pay?
Depends on how much they earn. You pay nothing if you earn less than 20 008 kr a month, which equals around 2000 dollars a month
@@adamsvensson8205 (rhetorical question)
Mostly they live on safety welfare net I guess lmao
Those who *claim* to "like paying taxes" are so damn fake. Firstly, you're *forced* to pay taxes, you have no choice. Secondly, why don't you people then ever make *extra* tax contributions if you really "like" paying taxes as much as you claim? Paying for "free" stuff you'd never ever choose to spend your money on is not a good thing, it's evil. Taxation is not only theft, but extortion.
That's not evil. This guy said his wife and he got 1.5 years parental leave a pop and he pays 180 a month for childcare. Taxation being theft is BS when your taxes are actually being spent on YOU. We live in this society together. You don't live in a vacuum. This is why they can walk down the street without a gun and not be afraid of being gunned down over pocket change and those of us in the USA can't.
But getting higher and higher. So not sustainable. It will colllape at the end
United States senators have a high standard of living which is why civilians here pay high taxes.
Sweden, the Yin to America's Yang
no. not all of us agree with being tax oppressed.
We pay to much in sweden to give for free to people who doesnt need it…
Very cool indeed!
I guess you have decide if you want the government to take your money and give back to you in the form they think is best? Or, would you rather keep more of your own money and spend how you deem best?
I mind paying taxes, our politicians waste money on their little projects. Highest taxes in the world but not the best schools, not the lowest crime, not the best healthcare....
Ehm.... we don’t actually like paying taxes. Many of us feel they are obnoxiously too high.
You'd probably feel different if you'd lived the other way around. Just as the couple in the video stated, they don't have to worry if they get sick and so on, there is a safety net. But for example where I live, in the Dominican Republic, if you get sick you can choose to either go to a "free" clinic/hospital and get horrible care, or you can pay thousands of dollars to get treatment. I've literally not been to the doctor's for probably the last 3-4 years, and only because of some issue, not a regular health check-up, just because it's to expensive. And then I still have insurance that costs me around $60 a month that only covers parts of emergencies and parts of standard treatments. In Sweden people die because the queues to get health care are sadly to long, but her people die because of lack of funds. And this is just one issue, if you have kids,2 weeks paid leave (if your boss allows it). Then you either have to try to work from home or hand the kids of to another family member, often parents or even grandparents. So even though tax is high in Sweden, it actually in most cases benefit you when you need it. And main point with taxes, do you earn enough to live of that income and can even spend to "enjoy" life, then what's the problem? If you are living pay-check to pay-check, then you might need that money and doesn't want to pay that in taxes.
@@Kricke87 sounds like sweden, we pay taxes for ”free” healthcare and now we pay for government financed private care too because the healthcare system is corrupt yay:)
I guess it’s great until the massive influx of people just to take advantage of this great system.
Which is currently happening, 1/10 is on financial aid lol
An honest and decent population ends up with far less corruption at government level where taxes are best returned as benefits to the population. Unfortunately, this only appears to happen in Scandinavia and some other north European countries. But yes, the refugee problem places and undue stress on this type of system as it is not accounted for. We the people get the system we deserve.