Sweden is infamous for having some of the highest taxes in the world, and yet the country’s tax agency is still one of Sweden’s most trusted institutions.
The Swedish attitude towards tax contrasts sharply with many countries where taxes can be a deeply divisive issue. We investigate what this says about Swedish society and how the popularity of the welfare state might survive growing challenges in the future.
Don’t forget bailing out hospitals etc. when people invariably default on their medical debt. On expensive ER bills that only exist because people couldn’t afford to visit a GP five years earlier and get some cheap off the shelf preventive medicine.
Also, and this really shouldn’t be underestimated: Laws concerning everything from food regulations over transportation polity to sports promotion that don’t take people’s health into account because health is a private matter. With socialised healthcare, suddenly all those new fancy bike paths have a tangible ROI in yet another public budget (not just the transportation agency’s one, that is).