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American Reacts The Economy of Sweden
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- Опубликовано: 14 фев 2022
- Original Video: • The Economy of Sweden
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Hi everyone! I'm an American from the Northeast (New England). I want to create a watering hole for people who want to discuss, learn and teach about history through RUclips videos which you guys recommend to me through the comment section or over on Discord. Let's be respectful but, just as importantly, not be afraid to question any and everything about historical records in order to give us the most accurate representation of the history of our species and of our planet!
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The way I, as a Swede, look at taxes: From the minute I was born and until I was 18, I never payed anything for my healthcare, my dental care or my education. My parents were able to stay home with me and my siblings for several years when we were young, and so many more things.
Now, as an adult, its time for me to repay that debt to society by paying taxes that lets other children benefit the way I did when I was young.
It’s quite easy actually.
Yep this is how I see it to, I pay back my fair share I already got given to me. Paying taxes never feel sour thinking in those terms. I even had braces for 8 years imagine that cost in the US system.
Also dental care is 100% free until you're 23 years old nowadays, it was 20 years when I was in my 20's so I am happy for the younger generation. Dental can be a hefty bill when you just started your work career.
I wish there could be more done with subsidising glasses for children. It is not your fault you are born with visual defects, like I can't help I was born with fucked up teeth 🤣🤣🤣
So many good comments here on this video! My heart becomes all warm. Makes me proud to see how good opinions Swedes have in general.
This is one of the most mature and adult ways to look at it. Give back to the system that gave us so much as children. So that others can have the same luxury. So other little Swedish babies can grow up happy and content.
That is a sweet philosophy
You have free dental care until you reach the age of 23 years...
very much so, as an adult i donrt have a problem with paying high taxes ...to give back som of what was given me, a good childhood, education, good healy care and so on, and now i have the oppurtunity to give some of that back, also in the video MrJibbin ask what if u was asked to give a stranger or help a strenger with health care...we do alot...we help other countries alot...in funds USA gives around 0.18% GNI (BNP in swedish), Sweden gives about 1.02 of GNI, considerin the sizes of our respectiv countries 334M (USA) vs 11M (Sweden) its fairly easy to see thers a huge difference in sheer value of tax payers...yet we do very well... (gosh i sounds like a self promoting, selfish bragging pig...but im not)...
USA has taken steps, but still along way to go...but it vill take awhile, small steps, small steps...u cant just transform a nation fast, it would be a failure and devestating...baby steps...
You nailed it Cecilia ❤ Bra uttryckt!
Being Swedish but having lived in the US I think a couple of important factors are:
In the US, money/wealth=freedom. In Sweden, we give up extreme wealth FOR freedom, such as the ability to study whatever we want for free, having a safety net to fall back on if our new business fails etc.
The second part would be trust in government. Swedes have a very high trust in our government. Not in as we always expect them to be competent, but the transparence is extremely high and we know that greed and malice isn't steering policy. This makes paying those steep taxes feel a lot better, if still not great. I don't feel like ppl in the US trusts or are properly able to see where their tax money goes, which obviously would kill interest in paying it to begin with.
Another side we see in Sweden aswell is that a high wealth fare means more safety. rich ppl don't need to build high walls or hire bodyguard as much.
Genuinely looks like a great system, jealous 😂🏴
@@alkozath6379 is it safe even after the mass immigration which is occuring since 2006?
@@viktorthefirst yes. and mass immigration.. there was an increase of 35% but mass.. idk, Unknown country 13k, Irak 11k, the followed by Poland, Denmark and Norway. ( SCB statistics for 2006 ( only counting ppl immigrating imported of not, didnt check how many of them are Asylum seekers or how many of them got to stay ). most was "imported" workforce tbh. same with the rest of the year, but Syria had ALOT for a while 40k one year, but unknown how many get to stay ( to early since most still under investigation. )
Much of that distrust in the U.S is of course based on the deliberate (and all-too-successful) corporate crusades to starve government of the necessary resources and capabilities and then turn around and propagandize these outcomes as inherent to the very nature of "big gubmint" even though strong welfare states and healthcare systems seem to thrive in almost every other developed nation. This propaganda continues to be deployed on U.S. talk (really "hate") radio, Fox News etc. and fools far too many of the non-wealthy population (the white part of it at least).
10:30 The key word is "solidarity". The Scandinavians apparently do understand that contributing to a collective may have short-term disadvantages for some individuals (like higher taxes), but also results in long-term advantages (like free or affordable healthcare and education, a higher standard of living, more happiness in life, etc.). THIS is the true core principle of socialism. You give up some individual advantages, but you gain even more collective advantages. It's the principle of "Together we are able to achieve what each of us isn't able to achieve on his own."
Many millions of people in the USA are poor or are barely able to make a living. Many others are better off, but still don't have the same standard of living as people in other developed countries. Yet, they still only look at what they would loose instead of what they would gain. They are not paying for the healthcare and education of others, EVERYONE is paying for the healthcare and education of EVERYONE ELSE. It is like an insurance, but better (because no profit is made and people are not ripped off).
Mindsets are not set in stone. They can change and they have changed over the course of history. Just look at the emancipation of women in western countries. Don't give up. A better world IS possible, but we all have to work (and fight) for it.
What do you mean ? " other developed countries" ? cut out "other" , U S is far from developed...
@@coole6825 Well, they are the world's biggest (and richest) economy... The problem is the extremely unequal distribution of wealth.
Or put it in another way. They are living on greed
You made an effort to understand the video, and I think you did a great job. I’m a Swede, and we often look at American politicians on the conservative side with great distrust. When they talk about raising taxes as something evil that would stop economic growth, we just know that they’re lying. What it might do is making their own pockets a bit thinner. Business taxes in Sweden is actually lower in the United States. And our welfare system is basically a collective insurance that we all pay into through our taxes. And this is money we know we’ll get back during our lifespan. It’s not socialism, since Sweden is a free market, capitalist economy. We just don’t like that things that are a necessity to us, such as healthcare and childcare to be in the hands of greedy people with a profit motive.
As it should be! Tack!
I'm not swedish but I live there. I don't think swedish people (or me) are sacrificing our personal wealth for the good of the rest of the population (I mean, that's the benefit for sure but I'm personally not that selfless). I would say that it's more that, yes, I earn a nice salary but pay a lot of taxes in Sweden, so i'm losing salary compared with if I lived in the US, however, if one day I got sick or have an accident, I will be ok because I'm protected by the system. High wealth is sacrificed to ensure your own confort of life no matter your personal situation: you pay high taxes when you're healthy and working but the welfare system give you benefits if you one day have any heath issue, you get unemployed or want to study again. I don't have to worry I will get broke if I need to call an ambulance or need a surgery.
You say that the Swedish model would not work in the US. The US model doesn't work in the US either, does it?
I think it works perfectly, rich are getting richer and poor stay poor.
@@MineneUryuu And in Sweden the rich are getting richer and nobody is poor.
@@heinedietiker4943 but that’s not how and why the American system was built, it doesn’t care about the poor. That’s kinda the point or the comment you responded to.
@@heinedietiker4943 Honestly even our poor can get richer here. I was able to save money for the deposit on my first apartment during my school years, working in traditional low income jobs(Cleaning, Pig ranching and store clerk). The upward mobility ain't too bad if you are willing to work and since you don't have to pay much for things such as insurance and tuition fees, you are able to save money even on quite humble earnings. But even if you don't have this mind set, things usually works out in one way or the other, but your options become way more limited for sure.
@@heinedietiker4943 Oh we have poor people here too. Cost of living is very high. I know many who just barely scrape by or have to borrow money just to buy groceries. The constant stress of economical uncertainty should not be taken lightly.
Great reaction, per usual. I'll add to the discussion that the Swedish word for taxation "skatt" literally means "treasure". Not because it benefits the state, but the people. Hence most people are fine with paying high tax rates. We see where the money is going. It doesn't apply to everyone of course, and there are some individuals and political parties that are more like their individualistic American counterparts. On a personal note, as someone that has been sick for a bunch of years. I'm super grateful for the assistance given by the state. I get a small stipend every month that covers rent, electricity, internet and food. There are some reasonable catches. If you can work, you need to work on getting a job. If you can't find work, there are programs to help you. If you lack education they will help you. If you are sick there are rehab programs or early retirement help. While I currently pay zero taxes, I have done so in the past, and hope to again in the future. But in the meantime at least I don't risk becoming homeless. I'd say the society as a whole is not perfect but it works pretty well for all. / Keep up the great work! Best wishes from Sweden.
And to add even more to this. I myself was born with a heart condition and I got a lot of medical treatment, operations, medicine and so on, for free through the tax subsidized medical system. Now as an adult, I'm able to pay it forward by happily paying taxes and contributing to society, so that people like Emil can get the help and support they need to live a decent life. It's a win-win situation when everyone works together in solidarity.
To be fair it didnt get its name because it was used for anyting good for the people originally, thats very much a modern take on it. The origins of tax was essentially to fund the crown and its war efforts and it was the common man that was taxed while nobility was exempt.
@@kronop8884 Yeah, I got the etymology of the word wrong. Thanks for the correction and info.
@@emileriksson76 it comes from the word “skattkista” which would be the kings treasure chest which he could use to fund an army, parties och anything else he wanted. It morphed into the states treasure chest being used to help the population over 500 years and is now the treasure of Swedish life :) hope you get well soon and don’t feel pressured to go back to work until you can
@@espnoberg6130 Thank you for both the info and the well wishes! I'm working on it, and I'm getting pretty close to a comeback moment! Jobcenter is a fantastic place, and the people there deserve recognition for their patience and support. / I am so used to hearing the treasure line, so it just popped into my head when typing. I knew taxation was older, but didn't stop to think about it until way after the comment. But i felt it was to late to edit the comment, so I'd rather confess to the error. Have a great evening!
I guess in my mind it is a matter of How much do you actually need? As long as I earn (and get to keep) enough to have a nice comfortable life I don't give a hoot about how much tax I have to pay. Someone grumbled about how we in Sweden only actually get to keep 20% of our salary at the end (if you add other taxations such as on gas and food and stuff on top of the income tax). Well, so what? I managed to buy my own home, and a new car, and can afford to go on vacation in other countries at least once a year. So what if I only get to keep 20% of my earned income? It is clearly more than enough for me. Anyway, that's just my personal view.
I agree as a fellow swede.
@Eva Wettergren, while I'm not Swedish but I am from the U.K. I've always been astonished at the way that most Scandinavians speak so many other foreign languages - including English of course - as well as their own mother tongues. Is this because those same languages are compulsory in your schools or because most Scandinavians enjoy communicating with as many people as possible outside of their own borders and are self-taught? Even that skill of yours makes good business sense because if you can communicate with as many people as possible abroad then your business profits can only benefit from that, can't they?
The funniest part about this is that the vast majority of you seem to speak better English than even some of us Brits and we have absolutely no idea when it comes to speaking to any of you in either Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish or Icelandic as a way to reciprocate....thank goodness for Google Translate when it comes to that. The daftest part about both yours and @Melkor's comments are that they're both in excellent English rather than in Swedish which proves how much respect for all of us English speakers you have, doesn't it? Either that or you're just showing off now, aren't you? I'm only joking of course. Greetings from Lancashire, England.
@@Phil_A_O_Fish Ha ha... yes, it might seem like showing off I guess. But it is honestly mostly because we want to be understood by as many people as possible. Very few people in the world understand Swedish but quite a lot understand english. So it just makes sense to use the most understood language. The reason we are 'good' at english is also mostly due to all the tv shows and movies that are produced in the USA and UK. We don't dub foreign films so get quite a lot of exposure to the english language. Also, english is a very easy language for a scandinavian... I studied french in school but can't say I would be able to hold a conversation or read a text in french today.
@@Phil_A_O_Fish I was about to say the same as Eva we encounter English pretty much everyday here since we are very young. I think it’s a mix between this and that our education system in English is pretty decent if I may say so myself.
I also felt that English was quite easy for me to learn compared to German which I’m currently studying. But probably the biggest reason is because we encounter English so much which helps us a lot and gives us a good head start.
@@evawettergren7492, now there's a coincidence I studied French in school too and also lived in Canada for almost seven years and a little known fact about Canada is that there are a lot of French Canadians living in most - if not all - of their large cities across the entire country and not just in the east of it. While I lived there I had lots of French Canadian friends in both Edmonton and Calgary and we could have very private conversations because the majority of the locals only spoke English and we could 'jump' between the two languages! I don't have much opportunity to do that here in England but if somebody annoys me I switch to French and swear at them using the most obscene language imaginable which I know they don't understand....I do this with a big smile on my face to make them think that I'm complimenting them rather than insulting them - sneaky, I know, but also quite effective as well. 👍😎👍 Thankfully this very rarely happens but I find it quite amusing when it does....if only to see the confused looks on people's faces.
As I say I don't get much opportunity to speak French and if I'm watching a French language film I put the English subtitles on so as to keep up with the plot and also to improve my French grammar as well as update my swear words, Ha Ha! 👍😎👍
I have lived in both the US and now in Sweden (UK-Swedish citizen). As you rightly say the US system is based on the idea of competition being better and it is for those with wealth and power. Money begats more money - while those at the bottom lose out. The system in the US has been designed by the wealthy for the wealthy with no regard to those that have neither wealth nor power. While not perfect - where is? - the Swedish view is wrapped up in one word - "lagom". I guess the English equivalent is "just the right amount" or "not too much or too little".
I'll just put it like this.
I'm a college drop out with no education outside high-school.
I make about 30 bucks an hour driving a forklift at a logistics company.
I only work 32h/w (8h 4days/w).
I've been offered full time but turned it down.
I don't need it.
Only working 80% my rent is just a fifth of my salery after taxes.
I still have 80% of my money after rent.
And I have 5 weeks payed vacation, full insurance and unlimited sick days with 80% pay and you won't need a doctor's note until your 8th day staying home.
We also have something called "comp" which is when you work outside "standard hours" you get a credit score for every hour worked.
This score you can then trade in for payed time off.
And there is also about a year of payed parental leave if you have children.
You're free to decide this time between the parents more or less how you see fit.
"I've been offered full time but turned it down.
I don't need it."
That is true freedom!
And that's how it should be! I love Sweden.
Tjänar du över 45.000 kr per månad på att köra truck om du hade jobbat heltid?
I think sweden has to come out and tell everyone that they need more "Lagom" around the world.
"hello there!". Also yes! More Lagom! Which is kind of an oxymoron if you think about it.
There’s a paradox. Swedes are more individualistic than americans. They like the security that the welfare system provides because it gives them freedom, which is Vera importens for Swedes.
And the child removals
@@dajjukunrama5695 From parents who abuse their children. Don't abuse your child.
@@dajjukunrama5695 So you believe and listen to Muslim extremists? Maybe you should pay more attention to the Imams in Sweden wich will tell you where these rumors come from!
@@lennartandersson75 they should not be forced to assimilate
@@zulupox don’t have any, might join kampen tho
I am a Swede and i really love hearing these types of opinions.
It's fun to hear what people from America feel about Sweden because it is such a debate nowadays because of the whole "Socialism" debate.
It is very interesting to listen to it all. It's cool to be a source of such debate.
I can't put into words how blessed i feel as a Swede on a personal level.
I was born with a auto-immune disorder that has been killing me all my life, pretty much. The fact that i'm alive and have everything that i own is pretty much all thanks to the good of the Swedish model, the people.
To be honest, it feels like a dream even though it is reality. I can't wrap my head around it.
My mother wouldn't had been able to keep me alive or take care of the family if we lived in a country that had it any harsher.
So, i feel blessed every dang day to have the honor to be a part of it all.
And it it stories like yours that makes me proud being a swede. I have a decent income (well actually very decent) but have no problem paying taxes in the highest bracket level. The reason I have this decent salary is basically free high education that I could have without big debts or rich parents. I have myself had the chance to utilize my full potential as an engineer (with a PhD in physics) and am happy to pay back to the society with a higher taxation. I would not switch my country with any other (except another nordic country perhaps).
@@Sauromannen That is awesome! Yeah, i can imagine. It is like the video says then ;)
Awesome stuff, idd!
I think why we are okay with the high taxes in Sweden is not because we have a greater urge to help people but because we know we get our money's worth in school and healthcare. Healthcare in the US is the most expensive in the world. Paying 100s of thousands in medical bills when you get cancer does not sound apealing.
I am happy to be swedish, I feel that we do not have to worry so much about things.
Swedishfinnish? you got Finnish name?
@@ristusnotta1653 finnish parents, but I was born and raised in Sweden. Joka kesäloma nuorena olin Suomessa, mutta en ole ikinään asunut siellä. Olen ruotsalainen, mutta jos on jääkiekosta kyse, toivon aina että Suomi voittaa 😀
@@tuijakantola6550 oikea asenne
@@tuijakantola6550 Born and raised in Sweden. But the big question; who do you support in hockey? ;)
Or even more important for some - Finland-Sweden Athletics International (Finnkampen in Swedish. And Ruotsi-ottelu in Finnish?)
Swedes only worry about the Russians
"...drawbacks in the sense that many of Sweden's highest income earners are indirectly subsidizing the lifestyles of less productive members"
This is the profoundly stupid, ignorant and even dangerous idea of income equals productivity. Completly based on a idea of an economy that exist in a vacuum and is detached from the needs of society. Why do we draw the conclution that price (money) are anything equal to value? We know that isn't the case when we start examining wages for essential work vs non essential work. Are we being told that a real estate agent or stock broker are more productive than a doctor, the people running our sewer systems or collect the garbage?
Subsidizing the lifestyles of less productive members.... The fascists are proud... I guess?
It means that if you are less fortunate in life at some point, losing your job or getting a long term illness etc. you will have time to recover i.e. get a new job or get your health back without going bankrupt and end up on the street. A desperate person with no money create other problems that cost a country lots on money such as crime, drug problems, beggars etc. As a country it is better to invest in your population so that they can be as productive as possible. In this way you avoid lots of problems and gain a more secure environment for everybody.
@@johanstang8298 Yes. That is why I react to the frankly stupid idea of "prodictive members = well payed" as mentioned in the video.
Creating desperate people will bring problems for the whole of society. Usually the ones benefitting from that problem want harsher laws and a stronger police that can protect their ill gotten gains.
As the system works today we reward the the people that are the "less productive" aka owners, instead of the people actually doing all that needs to be done.
Holy crap 😂😂 I’ve recently started watching “the crown” and I could just hear Churchill speak. Not that he would necessarily agree with you, but the sentence structure and the ending paragraph… holy guacamole😂😅😅 You are absolutely right but I could not stop hearing Churchill when I read it. I love it!
@@espnoberg6130 Haha :) Well. I'm no Churchill, but I do make an effort if I'm going to reply or have something to say. Thnx anyways. Tackar och bockar.
A fair amount of people live on welfare and do not do a single productive thing, without having any real reason to do so. Some have legitimate reasons, but some do not have legitimate reasons.
America is SO young, it's insane. European countries have had hundreds of years to get to how they work. America is barely out from the Wild West, just learning how to be a country really.
I have high hopes for the young country. In recent decades it has behaved like a teenager who think it knows everything and can solve all the world's problems by itself. Perhaps when it has learned to listen and work with others we can make things better?
The first in US was rich people who want more
Fun fact, early 1900 the Swedish company of Stora Kopparberg Bergslags AB gave an American company an offer for copper, the company did not know of the Swedish company and had never heard about it and asked if it perhaps was a newly started business. The Stora replied that it had been in business for over 200 years before Columbus discovered America and that it was the oldest corporation/LLC in the world. I wonder what the American company thought about that reply.
@@Holli622 Where did you read about this? I tried looking it up but with no avail.
@@jimkillerx Det första dokumenterade beviset på Storas verksamhet dateras till 1288 med kopparbrytning i närheten av Falun. Den verksamheten blev så småningom Stora Kopparbergs Bergslag 1862 och omfattade brytning, järnframställning och skogsindustri. Det första som kom upp när jag googlade på det.
The trouble with the dog eat dog economic system of the US,is that in any group there's always a top dog,and there's always the lap dog,very rarely are they interchangeable. This creates a huge underclass of people that have little hope of moving ahead of their station in life,then the handful of top dogs with all the money,money is power,and that power is used (usually in politics) to ensure the status quo is maintained.
Please... do not take this as any serious attempt of bragging. At least a not too serious one. 🙂
Regarding the thought on swedish citizens, as you McJibbin expressed it, "paying for polish wellfare"... go have a look at sources for how much Sweden spends on foreign aid.
After a quick look I found these numbers for 2015: (so a little old, but I don't think the current number are that much different)
The USA gave out $30765 million in foreign aid, with a population of 321 million people. Which per capita is $96.
Sweden gave out (in dollars) $8527 million, with a population of 9.8 million people. Which per capita is $870.
So while the USA gave almost four times as much in total dollars, per capita the numbers are... differently balanced.
Scrolled to find this comment, haha. I instantly thought of the same thing.
And as a net contributor to the EU budget, we do in fact pay for things in Poland (and other countries). I have 0 problems with that.
@@victorcapel2755 Neither do I.
@@victorcapel2755 Same here, except in Poland's case, who are turning authoritarian. EU vote this week to remove their money.
@@victorcapel2755 Agreed. No one wants poor countries/neighbourhoods around them because you loose your freedom.
Except the people from one specific country they believe it is your fault not being so well off.
And they are afraid anyone could abuse the system if anything is for free because that is what they would do first.
Well, Sweden is in fact some what paying for polish stuff. We give a lot more to EU whom then gives to Poland for example.
Sure, but I think we all understood his point. There is much less of a community feeling inside the u.s, which makes social spending through taxes feel like forced foreign aid to a significant segment of the American population. That just isn't the case in Sweden or any of the Scandinavian countries.
If you are selling high quality stuff you need countries that can afford them.
sure but poles work for cheap in western countries and contribute to those economies.. you win some you loose some.. idk how Sweden benefits from this polish labor but i know Germany does..
From a potentially new country, Scotland, the Swedish model is what we aspire to.
We hope you make it :)
@@espnoberg6130 thank you! 🏴🇸🇪
lycka till
Best of luck ♥️
Admit it, MrGreen, you'd miss the Tories
Found your channel a few days ago, been watching a few videos now and I really enjoy your way of commenting on these videos you watch.
Calm and concise!
Interestingly, according to Forbes magazine in march 2021 there are more dollar billionaires per capita in Sweden than in the US, who would have guessed... and the only ones that tops Sweden in this respect are essentially tax havens of diffrent kinds. In addition according to Credit Suisse in 2021 a little more 7% of Swedes have equity worth over 1 million dollars (European average is 2.7%)
Also iif you look at Sweden from a World Values Survey perpective and its placement on the Inglehart-Welzel World Cutural map it is clear that Sweden is an extreme case of selcular and self expression values
In May, there will be a huge competition in Europe called the Eurovision Song Contest and the countries are currently choosing which songs they will send to the competition. Each country participating gets to send one entry (there’s usually about 43 entries/ countries) and all entries (except the hosting country and five of the biggest countries) compete in two semifinals to choose 20 entries for the final, those are then added to the big five and the host country to compete in the final. There are some weird songs and performances but there are also some AMAZING ones. There’s usually a very warm and friendly feeling where you can laugh at the weird ones and then two minutes later contemplate the very serious message of a ballade then four minutes later dance/ sing along with another pop or rock song :) there’s a lot of songs that use cultural tones (the background dancers in the winner 2009 from Norway dances a traditional Norwegian dance) and the performance and show is just as important as the singing. The competition started in 1956 and is still going strong. There will be a lot of weird sh*t that’s honestly a part of the charm and no matter where you start to dive in, it will be a throw in to the deep end so I recommend to start with reacting (if you feel like it) to a RUclips video called “what is Eurovision, opening act second semifinal 2016” the thumbnail has one man and one woman standing on a stage. There will be a lot of fast singing but a lot of info that’s basically how it has worked and why it started and a lot of history basically. After that I recommend a channel called “SchlagerLucas” to find a lot of the past winning songs and similar. This might also be a way to find new topics to make videos about Europe since it sometimes references current events or past events. I might also add that Eurovision has a big dedicated fandom that will usually watch any video there is about this subject. Beware of being a bit too much of an “ignorant American” since there is a lot of pride in this competition, this is why I recommend the video explaining a bit of the history :) if you have any questions that you need answered about Eurovision or the culture around it (or Sweden for that matter) you feel free to ask me either here or ask me for my email or insta or something? Have a great day :D
When you go abroad as a Swede, you notice that the people in other countries and their system are somewhat strange, until you realise that it is we, Swedes, and our system that is strange 🙂.
Two things that wasn't mentioned but I think have a huge impact on the Swedish economy are the Social Securities Tax that every employer pays on top of the salary (+31.4%) and the VAT tax (%25). Both of these numbers are significantly higher than neighbouring European countries.
Those two things combined make sure that your life as an employee is fairly easy, and since the VAT is just a line on a reciept for most people, it doesn't matter that much.
Combine that with what was mentioned in the video and the picture is even clearer.
Work to live = Sweden
Live to work = USA
In the end what it comes down to is the fact that in the US the amercian dream teaches you to accept big inequalities because one day you can be on the other side, however most people will never cross over so most US people are far less free than a Swede for example. Just the fact that an employer need extreme circumstances to fire you compared to US when they can fire you on the spot...This would result in a US worker speaking up much less than a Swedish worker.
What is sad is that each day the politicians look to the US and try to copy...
We pay for the well-being of Poland. we are in the eu, and we spend more GDP on world aid than most other countries. type 10 times more than the United States does
Per capita Sweden contributes more to aid but not in absolute terms, the US contribution in total is aproximatley 7 times that of Sweden
If you want to compare foreign aid, you have to include all private donations too. I doubt that statistics show that.
@@paulingvar In response to Maxars claims only the official government aid is relevant. However as far as I know for the US the value of private donations makes a significant contribution, so in absolute terms the gap between the two is probably even bigger. On the other hand, per capita no one gives more than Sweden
Since income is relatively equal that means taxes are also equal. High earners are not paying for low earners to the extent that people think simply because the difference between high and low earners isn't as big as in other countries. As mentioned, fortune is made from entrepreneurship, not from employment, and that isn't taxed as heavily. The discrepancy between what a high earner puts in and the value they get out is significantly more favorable in Sweden than many other countries.
Yes here in Sweden the taxes are pretty high. For the ammount that i make i have to pay double in taxes compared some one with simular pay in the US.
But we do get like alot of benefits for those higher taxes and they really are worth it.
No poor people and no rich people. This i socialdemocraty
Like paying like $20 if you brake your leg, plus getting 80% of your salary while you have to sit at home recovering. :)
Basically, in the USA, you need guns to protect your family since people without food will try to get it no matter what. (countries without resources will go to war to get some, as in the Viking era). In Sweden, we don't have to since even the poorest person will have a home, food and basic stuff. So the whole society will gain more than it pay. More freedom, e.t.c. There are however dark spots. There will always be few persons that will take advantage of this kind of system. You don't actually need to work. So why bother. Luckily. Not everyone wants that. The majority wants a little better life and tries to get out of unemployment.
Sad thing is that so many Swedes doesn't know this. That the way our economy has been built up throughout decades actually is what makes us so successful. There are a lot of right wing winds blowing and sadly also more extreme right gaining ground. A lot of our school system has been under "attack" for a while and sold out to investors. Private schools that makes a lot of money that actually still comes from tax payers. (Every student you get to a school is worth money that the owners will get from the government. And the more they then save, by not spending it on the student, the higher their profit is.)
People of this nation is not aware of it's economic history and the benefits that actually comes from the tax system we have.
You are absolutely right. The right wing parties are riding on the desinformation campaigns most likely (or at least mainly) running from the russian troll factories. It tries to make people think that the swedish model is falling apart, while it is actually the opposite.
Great video! Many Americans pay so many hidden taxes, private ensurance and copays that, at the end of the day, they pay more than Swedes do inspite of Sweden's high income taxes. A regular Swede pay 30-32% income tax, but with (nearly) free healtcare, school lunches, education, dental care, medicine etc. they get a lot for their tax buck! :) I think that if Americans felt they gained a lot of benefits from paying taxes they would be ok paying taxes. As it is now, it is perhaps not clear what the taxes are used for (military/war etc.)
I work as a sanitary technician (fancy word for cleaning lady) in a gym in Sweden i work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and before takes i make around 18k SEK or 2k USD before tax, i don't really make a LOT of money, but i never have to worry about not being able to pay my rent, food or medication. Sure i live in a smaller apartment, but i live by myself and don't really need more. If i wanted to make more money, sure i could go up to working 8 hours a day, take night shifts etc, but my mental health has been so much better since cutting back on the hours. I have been burnt out before and don't want to end back there again. I could NEVER live like i do here, in the US...
I'd like to add that I've also been on wellfare a few years, sure the budget was tight, but it paid for my rent, i got about 150 USD a month for groceries and a little extra money for clothes and pleasure. For a single person, this was like in 08, you got a maximum of about 400 USD for rent and they calculated the value of what you NEED to get by without ending up on the street. If you needed medication or a visit to the doctor you handed in the receipts and got that money back.
I needed emergency dental work, so i went to the wellfare office told them what was going on, got the paperwork and was advised to visit a certain dentist and the dentist sent the bill directly to the wellfare office. Dentistry is unfortunately very expensive in Sweden.
In conclusion, i lived on a shoestring budget, but i still had a roof over my head and food to eat every day.
You have to remember also.. What we get for our taxes. US citizens have to pay out of pocket or go bankrupt for. So when you count what you get out of taxes you have to add those costs into the equation. I know a lot of Americans who pay at least 450 dollars or more/month in insurance for health care. That may or may not provide actual said health care for the individual. (The insurance companies in turn do all they can to deny coverage for treatments because they themselves have to turn a profit). Here we cannot be denied health care and it doesn’t bankrupt us.. And we won’t lose our jobs if we get sick.
Remember, we all want Swedish public services at US tax rates.
You're right about Norway it is primarily mountainous and before oil was mainly fishing
and mining.Sweden was farming ,manufacturing and mining.
In Sweden, we think more in solidarity. If you get sick and can't work, you don't have to sell houses, apartments or other properties to survive. I am very proud of the system we have for a fairer social environment. You don't have to get lost if you lose your job or get sick.
Quality of life and life expectancy in Sweden is higher than in Norway. But Norway has other factors that make up for the lack of life in the country. Like lower crime rate etc.
the thing with Sweden and its mountains, most of the southern parts have been leveled by glaziers while there are more mountains further up. idk weird thing to mention but yea
an important thing that does not appear in the video is that almost all welfare is organized and paid for locally, the politicians in Stockholm do not know what needs and conditions exist in Gothenburg, and Gothenburg does not trust Stockholm, so they plan, carry out and finance healthcare, education, etc. .
if you want to take inspiration from us and introduce similar programs that we have, you have to think locally, even the state level can in some cases be too far from the citizens, not to mention the federal government.
I love Swede, lots of butter and black pepper... Yummy!
Sometimes I mix it with carrots and parsnips.
Sweden has almost the same amount of mountains.
Most of them are on the boarder meaning they're shared by Sweden and Norway.
Sweden has a larger surface area tho and most cities are located where there are not mountains.
If you go to the north or northwest in Sweden you'll find *alot* of mountains.
The wealth-inequality comes from 1% of the population owning close to 90% of the total private wealth. So called "Old money".
Great video, as always! Just one thought, your comparison with swedes paying for polish welfare - we actually do that due to the European Union where some countries are net payers and some are net recievers of the trillions of dollars that goes into the Union. Sure, there is some grumbling now and then, from some people more than other, but in the end most people understand that boosting the eastern european members' economy, that will help to stabilize Europe, it will mean a bigger chance of equality in those countries. And that is good in and of itself but also good for Sweden.
The high taxes is high and it not only on the income. Everything you buy is the taxes in the price. If a gum cost 1 dollar it cost 1 dollar the tax part is allready in the price. So you dont need to do back taxes on the way out of the store. People often overpay taxes and gets taxes back in the middle of the summer. You dont want to get back log taxes and enjoy your paid vecasion days. That way we pay taxes on everything. But dont need to ad that on the items price. Much eazier to go shoping.
I think you missunderstood the message about starting a business and what most people dont get. Ask anyone (allmost) that have started a business why they did it and very few will say that they did it to become millionaires, they do it because they were passionate about something. Did Bill Gates start Microsoft to make money or because he loved computers and what he believed possible using them. Did Madonna start a music career because she wanted to make money or because she loved music? So if you can take this passion and make it a reality without risking losing your house and family, wouldnt you be more inclined to actually start that business? It will still be hard and most of those businesses wont work, but if enough of them do it, its a win win for you and society.
I think that one economic factor is population size, Sweden's population is around 10m making them larger than Norway or Finland. This is comparable to say, London or New York. So the social welfare expense is more manageable than say the USA or even UK and Germany.
Also I think there is an historical element to the psychology of economics. The Nordic countries arose from tribal peoples, Vikings living in communities. The USA (and to an extent the UK) are immigrant nations. The structure of the USA was built on various peoples arriving and striving to survive and prosper. So we see one case of community based thinking versus a society built by disparate individuals all competing with each other.
Just my stumbling thoughts, I am by no means an expert. But it is interesting.
3:30 I'm surprised you didn't have a stronger reaction to this, that is extremely close to the utopian 0.
You should watch some videos on Sweden's inventions.
Funny thing. When I grew up Norway was very poor. That was until they struck oil (thank god) :D
In global studies Swedes has the the highest trust in Institutions. We really rely on our government and municipalities to provide the services we pay them taxes to provide.
US is not for common people. US for rich people
USA is not a united country. Each state is like a country of its own. It is impossible to compare, but it is interesting though.
About the marginal taxes in Sweden. Yes 1.5 times the average salary will earn you high tax. The unions however keeps the average salary high. The people paying the top bracket tax are quite few.
Going to try to keep this comment short. I'm going to fail.
I am originally British but I am now a Swedish citizen. My brother is also originally British (Duh! Really?) but is now a US citizen living in New Jersey. Although he earns more than I do, our salaries are not dissimilar in terms of pre-tax numbers. I pay Swedish tax rates, he pays US tax rates and after tax, he ends up with far more cash in his pocket than I do. However, he then has to pay out of pocket for things which I do not. His kids' education, college funds, health insurance co-pays, property taxes, his retirement pension and so on and so forth. After all is said and done, I have more disposable income than he does and arguably a more comfortable (and secure) lifestyle than him and his family.
Would the Swedish system work in the US? Absolutely not. Why? Because US societal culture is rooted in the individual while Swedish culture is rooted in the collective. Yeah, sure, we b*tch and moan about the taxes we pay but ultimately we suck it up because we understand it's for the common good and what benefits our neighbours ultimately benefits us - a fairer society is a safer society. And let's face it, social responsibility are not really high on the list of priorities when losing your job would mean losing your health coverage, having to dip into your kids' college fund and maybe downsize, so US citizens are all about looking out for number one, hoarding their cash, building their nest egg and giving less than a tuppenny f**k about everyone else.
And yes, I realise I'm generalising massively.
I think you share the common understanding of most swedes as well. However, there are groups here that complains about how the society falls apart (much based on disinformation spread on social media). Whenever I ask people from that group which country they prefer instead, they never answer me. I wonder why...
I love your way to explain how our system works, its kind of right!
We pay to a comon purse, but we altso get paybacks, like subsidiced kindergarten, free education, almost free healtcare, subsidiced elderly care, subsidiced puplic transportation, and more!
If one is a home owner one dont pay taxes on those parts that goes to intrests or used to hire skilled workers, or your expenditure to get to and from your workplace!
Its works like this, one pay high taxes when one dont have expenditures, but one get paybacks when one have high ones, mostly by free or subsidiced services.. when one need them!
compared to what you get back, (health care, Social Security ) and what you pay for the same in US its slightly cheaper in US ( less then 100$ a year ) but when something bad happens to you get way more in Sweden. taxes and Insurances.
I don’t have any numbers to compare but are you sure it’s cheaper in the US if you count the cost of health insurance?
@@E-jit the one i saw, it was based on medium income in US and Sweden, and an equivalent insurance, but that only the cost of the insurance itself, u still have to pay the medical bills treatment/medication etc. after the insurance is done. so if you have ANY medical issue, ei diabetes etc, its all of a suddenly way cheaper in Sweden. and in some cases that cost for the individual WITH insurance can be MORE then the cost for whole treatment in Sweden. and that not even mentioning the social safety net.
The important thing to take away with the tax level we have in Sweden is to see what we get from the taxes as well.
1. It pays for everyone’s education so you don’t have to pay for each term you study.
2. It pays for our healthcare. If you have to visit a doctor or the emergency you pay 20$ for the whole visit.
3. For prescriptions you pay a maximum of 200$ per year.
And so on. And everyone gets 5 weeks of paid vacation every year, no matter of what profession you have. There are many more things to take up here but I leave that for someone else
Don't forget the generous parental leave ;)
The dark and cold winter months also contribute to creativity and inventions. If it's cold outside, you might as well sit indoors and code or practice musical instruments.
Yes, we pay ALOT of tax, but then you get sick and need a doctors appointment, it will set you back between $20-30 in total! So you don't need to pay insurances just to be able to afford medical care.
If you need medicine, it's highly subsidized and there is a cost cap of around $180/12 months, After you hit that, it's free.
If I want to educate my self, I get a stipend every month, you won't get rich on it, but it should cover rent and food, from the state. ah and the tuitions are free.
Have your kid in daycare Will set you back $150-200, but then breakfast, lunch, diapers and so on is included ofcause.
Job security is high due to a strong union, but if you loose you job, we have a social safety net, and the state will provide for basic needs like rent/foood/and so on.
You can by law be home with your newborn child for up to a year and the state will pay you up to 80% of your sallery. (With an upper limit)
Nearly all roads are toll free and is maintained by the state. Yes we have congestions charges, but that's more of a big cite problematic.
An talking about freedom, can you just wander out in the nearest forrest and walk about freely, pick the berrys, mushrooms, whatnot for free? We can.
We have a LAW that called "Allemansrätt" (All mans right) that say that anyone can freely use the forrest/land as long as you don't damage it, for recreational use.
So yes, we pay alot of taxes, but we get something back from it. How often does your doctors appointment end in a $20 loss :)
U.K. "Public School". A school which parents have to pay fees to get a private education for their children. The opposite of a State School where government meets the cost.
U.S. "Public School". A school where children get educated at public expense funded by taxation. The opposite of a Private School.
U.K "Welfare". An entirely positive word meaning "wellbeing". In order to ensure low income people achieve welfare, they can apply for Welfare (or State) benefits to raise their income and improve their welfare.
U.S. "Welfare". A wholly negative word implying dependency on government. A corruption from Welfare payments (see U.K.)
When it comes to taxes. Doesnt you pay some taxes to the state, some federal taxes and then you also need a health insurance? Think about all of your taxes, insurances etc and compare that to 28 % taxes (thats pretty normal).
I pay 20 dollars as most if I go to see the doctor (the rest is paid by taxes).
Your observation about Norway is accurate. It is mostly mountains.
It's because the main driver for entrepreneurs are rarely the money (it's the result of their success, not the driving force of why they do it). In Sweden, it's less risky to try for your dream.
This guy forgot to mention we also earn quite a bit from our iron ore and wood exports. Otherwise good video.
In this video a lot of the filming was made outside Sweden! I can see filming from: Spain? or another southern country? + some other foreign countries! Some views are from our beloved neighbors in Norway. They have more mountains, thats true! (And they pay not very much more tax either). And we do not pay 57%! in tax! Just a little bit more or less than 30% is more common for us here in Sweden! The taxes are used for welthcare and other benefits for all of us who live here. We share . Democracy,? Maybe?
Some more points.
1. Less people that need food , money, shelter etc to survive. Means less crime. Means less costs.
2. In for example Germany . Put their tax and add the costs for medical insurance you usually ending up paying more.
3. Even in prison you get salary and education.
Proud to be Swedish. Doesn't mean all is perfect here . But better than a lot of other places. 😜
A fair social safety net is freedom. ❤️💯🇸🇪
Coming in a year later, but a major thing here is that you were brought up in a country that values personal accomplishments far much higher than we do in Sweden. Why is that? In Sweden we have long ago realised that without the support of the other people living together, you can never reach your true maximum, and we all have to pitch together for all of us to reach our best.
In the US, your mentality of you are solely responsible of your success, and you can not rely on the support of your community to reach your goal is hardwired into you by indoctrination during your early school years.
You pay in tax 30 % up to 50000 krona after that you pay 50 % of all of the rest. So if you earn 75000 you pay 30 % of the first 50000 and 50 % of the 25000.
Even if you pay very high taxes. You can still earn more money than you could possibly ever need.
I've been living and working in both Sweden and USA (though I only worked for 2 years in the U.S), to keep it simple the U.S is a place for the rich, Sweden is a place for most. We, Sweden, haver your problems like any country.
You only pay the highest taxes on the part of your income in that bracket. The median tax bracket is about 35% or so I would say, not having explicitly looked it up.
Scandinavia: Are you in need? I will help you.
USA: Me, me ,me, me, me...
There is a bit of catch 22 with High taxes. It leads to a lot of tax planning.
I think the wording "less productive members of society" at 12:20 in relation to low income workers is very misleading. Your income does not perfectly reflect your productivity. It's not completely disconnected but to lump together low income workers as all being less productive is, I would argue, a pretty dishonest or at the very least biased framing of the situation. A CEO could be much less productive than one of his employees while still earning many times more than that same employee.
Exactly! A nurse or a teacher for example. Not a high income job but many of them work their ass off to help other people. Specially now during the pandemic our whole healthcare system has been working because of nurses working long shifts after shifts.
I agree that the Swedish model wouldn't work in America if you tried to do it today but it's worth noting that the US and Swedish models were fairly similar in 1970 but since then they have taken different routes. The individual thinking that is today so pervasive is the United States was tampered by the strong trust in institutions that Sweden has. Sweden has privatized a lot since then but at the same time strengthened individual rights and continues to try to make sure that companies can't abuse their position by polluting, creating unsafe products or having poor working conditions.
Sweden is actually a strongly individualistic culture in many ways with a lot of emphasis on personal choice and personal responsibility in the workplace. Companies generally have very flat hierarchies and encourage people to take initiatives which leads to happier workers with more freedom to form their own jobs to suit their preferences.
Freedom is relative. Freedom of speech and expression is however very absolute. And I am very proud to be a Swede and very proud that Sweden is on the forefront when it comes to freedom in that manor. Just like the USA, we can say what we want, THINK what you want! and express what ever you want and the government has no say in what ever nonsense or brilliance you have to tell! (there are many nations still to this day, that disallows their citizens the freedom of thinking for themselves) remember that!
Yes I pay a shit ton in taxes.. But I do not have to worry when I get sick etc.. I and we are covered.. Some might abuse the system and take us for fools.. well yes ofc.. but isn't medical care for all a (form) of freedom? Workers rights? I am willing to pay for it.. The Swedish morale, if we all pitch in, it will be better for everyone and not just the minute 0.1%, even if it costs us/me 33% in income tax.. Freedom is relative and I love my nation and I have the right to complain and criticise my government, because my land is great!
It has been shown that more equal people are, they are generally happier. I think it was specially tied to money aswell.
In Gothenburg, swedens second largest city with a population of 500,000 I think I’ve seen about 20-30 homeless people and not more than 10 homeless people that I could see regularly for more than a period of 2 months
And the thing is, basically all ”homeless” people in Sweden are not really homeless. Instead there are often mental illness and other circumstances than pure economical reasons for them to live on the street. If they accept the terms they are able to get an apartment or at least shelter. I’m not an expert in this, but as far as I understand all people can get the help they need as long as they comply with the terms that goes along with it (and are not unreasonable).
You have to think about this more! Watch it again! ❤
It's not that hard to see why people in USA are so competitive about not paying taxes for anyone else, it's because most people are just one bad event from being poor from losing your job or having an accident. That means that any little income more makes them feel a little bit safer. But they fail to realize is that if they paid similar levels of taxes as in Sweden, then that risk would be gone.
And I would like to continue on that to go further, We as Americans can try to accomplish to do the very same thing in our own country, But every time when we want to make corrections , Some one or negative critics would intervene to create a massive disaster of an storm over "Socialism" values like it's demonic or wicked.
IKEA, Spotify, Skype, Volvo, H&M, Evolution Gaming, Ericsson, Electrolux are some of the swedish international companies.
... Sandvik, Autoliv, Veoneer, Koenigsegg, Bofors, Vattenfall, Skanska...
Not to mention the outdoor companies quite dominant in their nieches: Fjällräven, Hilleberg, Hestra, Primus, Trangia, Haglöfs... ( I probably missed a few).
Every time someone tries to explain Sweden economy they hit us with the top marginal tax rate. But really, very few people really pay marginal tax. Most people pay around 30%.
The safetynet thing is not at all how it works. You can pay monthly to "A-kassa", but you also have to work. If you're fired you can get up to 450 days of unemployment "benefits (80-65% over time of salary with a roof) if you have kids, otherwise 300 days.
If you have to go on real welfare it's much different. You cannot have money in the bank, and your spending must've been very limited for 3 months. If you spent money too quickly over the 3 months you will not get this welfare. You're also not allowed to own anything. Stocks have to be sold, obviously. You cannot own a car or a house either. You must sell everything of significant value. You must apply to jobs and spend up to 8 hrs a day at "adult daycare" (to "find jobs"). You can get sort of a job through this, but you'll not be given a salary, you'll continue to live on the "minimum" (about $400+ rent and utilities) while working full time for whatever company, making your wage something like $5-6/hr. The company can, after 6-12 months or so, decide to not hire you, in which case you have to try the same thing again.
You cannot decide to just play with marbles, unless you started with that young and didn't get fucked by unemployment demands (You would have to somehow not get a job). For that you have to either have parents who can pay for you, or you need to make money somehow.
If you have worked for a year you can decide to play with marbles, but you won't get "A-kassa"/unemployment benefits for up to 3 months. And of course, your time is up after 7 months. It'll probably be harder to get a new job with such a past though. You still have to actively try to get a new job, you can at most decline 3 job offers, and if you do decline you'll be without benefits for a few days.
So yes, there are safety nets, but they aren't "go and play with marbles" level. To do that you must live off of your parents.
The real safetynet is that if you get sick you won't have to worry about paying medical bills. And you can study for free, you're even payed a small amount to study for your first 6 years (assuming you manage at a minimum 75% of your studies).
Technically Swedes are actually paying for Polish welfare since both are part of the EU and Sweden in a net contributor while Poland isn't so some Swedish money does go to Poland.
By accident the Swedish Riksbank invented fiat currency because the Rikbank was issuing debt to the crown, and because the Kings IOU:s was easier to handle than the kilograms of silver the IOU:s were being traded as currency.
sweden is just like norway very mountainous aswell the video of the valley and mountains at 18:18 is not far from where i live :3
The US actually pays more than we so in Sweden. They just dont pay it to the gov in taxes. You pay more for medication, education, living etc. So in the you get less for more in the US compared to swedes.
At 10 minutes you refer to "You would not want to pay for Polish welfare" but we are one of the countries in the world who sends alot of money to poor states, It's what we do :)
You can still get rich in Sweden, it’s business friendly and if you learn how to invest you can become financially independent quite easily.
Americans will not pay 300$ a month for benefit everyone but will rather pay 600$ for health insurance for the freedom to pay. USA summed up in one sentence 😂
My taxrate is 33% so its even lower than 37% in the US. It all depends on your annual income.
We don't give away welfare money to anyone doing anything. You are required to apply for jobs actively and if you start a business you can get support for that from welfare but for a limited time, about 6 months last I checked. But you can apply for various grants too and it buys you time to find investors. We have a LOT of incubators you can apply to as well. If you get sick, you also get some help, but very limited and it decreases over time. The last right-center government also put a hard limit on how long you "can" be sick, throwing out thousands of people out of the regular welfare. I think there is one last refuge but then you live worse than a student, without access to cheap student housing. Sweden has got a lot less generous the past 15 years.
Don't be silly, Norway is at most 96% mountains. They have a couple of flat bits here and there. Also Swedes do pay for Polish welfare (via the EU as well as other methods) but it's not much. In return we get to brain-drain them and get access to their markets. It is however in our rational self-interest that Poland becomes a happy and wealthy country. If they are wealthy the more we gain from trade with them. If they are happy the more secure we are. Even from an entirely selfish perspective the prosperity of others is good for us.
Scandinavian countries are social/democratic/capitalist states. And the word 'social' means 'common' or 'collective'. It does not mean or equal 'communism'.
monthly. low incom are 24000 skr before tax. tha makes 19000 skr after tax. medium incom 38000 skr. and high incom 70000 skr/ month. but there are many people making alot more than that.
Well, a doctor in sweden makes around 12.000-15.000 dollar per month, double that if u work as consult. Meanwhile like a lowskill work provides like 2500 dollar per work and a more normal work like a nurse around 4.000 dollar per month. So the doctor still does alot more..
The start salaries for newly examined doctors (ST) is around 35-40 000kr per month. ($4000-4500) If you specialise in a certain area you might get your salary up to those numbers you give, but it takes many years.
The "normal" salary for a specialised doctor in Sweden is 78 000kr. So its not common at all to make over 100k. (about $11-12000).
To make 200 000kr per month is extremely uncommon even if you work as a consultant.
Sweden tried to get a part of Noways oil in exchange for Volvo shares...
in my community we only pay 32% taxes of the salary