Hi Virgil,
Nice to hear from you. Whenever I see your name here in this forum, I always think of the poem you wrote about your friend who came home damaged from Vietnam. I don't remember the details except for the motorcycle, but I do remember that it moved me. I know you have written many other poems, but it's funny (funny-strange) how I often find that nearly each member has written a poem that sticks in my mind.
I hope this thread will stay on-track with the topic of the thread which is Taxes: who pays and where does the money go. At least that is what I intended and I hope it will not stray into other blind alleys and byways. But I will reply to your post.
May I say with no disrespect to you, Virgil, that your middle two links both go to neocon sites that desire nothing more than to influence American citizens to move further toward the unquestioning standoffishness of the ultra-right. If you are an ordinary citizen, they are not working for you. If however you are one of the 1%, you will find them a cozy home.
As regards your first link "Taxation in Sweden" I cannot discern who is behind it but it is incorrect in several respects. And it isn't hard to google forth trustworthy sites to prove it. You might be surprised to read this link
https://sweden.se/society/why-swedes...-paying-taxes/ but I can assure you that the vast majority of Swedes think that paying taxes is OK because the system is transparent and fair, and filing the tax forms is easy, and most of all because we are all aware of what we get in return.
Some examples.
1) free schools from the first grade to university doctoral level.
2) Health care. For instance the fee for a hospital stay is maximum SEK 100 per day (about $11.50 dollars per day). Patient fees for primary care vary between SEK 100 and 250 depending on the county council. For specialist visits, there is a maximum fee of SEK 350. High-cost ceiling applies, in other words, when you have paid to the high cost ceiling you do not have to pay any more for a defined period and then you start to qualify for another high-cost ceiling which currently is 1100 SEK in over a twelve month period.
3) Child allowance. This is not welfare. It goes to the wealthiest family and the unemployed unwed mother alike for each child under 16. The first disbursement is made in the month after the child is born and is paid out up to and including the quarter that the child turns 16 years old. Families with several children receive (in addition to payment for each individual child) a supplementary allowance.
c) The non-pregnant parent can receive compensation for 10 days of leave from work in connection with the birth of the child. These work-free days provide the opportunity for the father to be at the delivery, get to know the child and take care of other children in the family. The compensation is called temporary parental benefits. There is also parental leave allowance.
d) Housing allowance. Families with children receive housing allowance if they
have a child/children living with them, pay more than SEK 1,400 a month for their housing, the annual income of the household does not exceed SEK 426,000.
And much more, but this will suffice, I think. Imagine what a paradise America would be if it had a similar system. Go get them varmint tax cheaters.
(Being tax-friendly as a nation doesn't mean we don't have a few greedy crooks but the prisons are run with tax money too so they get a kind of return on their cheating.)
About Breitbart. Really, Virgil, I can't believe that anyone would believe that this source does not have an agenda.
This link below is to a reputable Swedish newspaper and I will try to give the gist of what it says in quotes below (I am not translating but summing up).
http://www.svd.se/kommunen-efterlyse...till-nyanlanda
"Many who own summer cottages and empty houses have recently received a letter from the Norrtälje municipality asking if they would consider renting these buildings during the winter. This is an attempt to find housing for the refugees, a task that the municipal government is responsible for. All of Sweden's municipalities must provide homes for the 21,700 quota refugees that have been granted residence permits. Norrtälje will need homes for 22 newcomers each month."
I might add that this drive benefits quota refugees, those taken from the refugee camps and registered by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. and in reality Sweden has many others who have fled and arrived here on their own and also need a home. There is no expropriation of houses, the contract is purely voluntary and is drawn up between the owner and the refugee. The rent will be paid by the refugee who receives an establishment allowance. We currently have a tremendous number of refugees who need homes and jobs.
(Note also that the immigrant-hating party with neonazi roots which calls itself Sweden Democrats has several sites spreading the
completely false information Breitbart is referencing.)
This is a long post and I think I will stop here. If you have further questions, just ask.
Now I hope we can talk about taxes and the Apple/Ireland/EU case.
Taxes and the EU
Linear Mode
