this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2024
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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.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

why can't i post any comments

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Because Americans let movie stars and reality show con-men drive the train and idolize their asinine tomfoolery like it's a goddamn team sport. Garbage in garbage out. Why is this even a question, what the fuck. This shit is as obvious as hot pink wallpaper.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

American culture is mentally ill.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 months ago

When the term “That’s your tax dollars at work” doesn’t need a /s because it’s just assumed – there’s your problem.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Was hoping it was Surströmming. Imagine my disappointment.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

You misspelled "relief"

[–] [email protected] 143 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Because here in America, when they take my money, it's to give away to oil companies and weapons dealers. Not to give us all health care and affordable housing.

[–] [email protected] 102 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Americans actually pay more per capita towards public healthcare than most Europeans, but it just covers so much less (Medicaid and Medicare) because of insane healthcare prices.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

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).

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (4 children)

55% of tax dollars in the united states goes to social programs, social security, and healthcare.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Difficult considering social security isn't a tax. Without looking it up my guess is that number rolls up the 14-15% of SS and Medicare taxes so the real number is lower.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Handy Infographic from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO):
.

  • Total Federal outlays: $6.1 Trillion
  • Federal Social Spending
    • Social Security: $1.3T
    • Medicare: $0.839T
    • Medicaid: $0.616T
    • Income Security Programs: $0.448T
    • Total Social Spending: $3.203T

Math warning:

(3.203T / $6.1T) * 100% = 52.5%  

So, not quite the previous poster's 55%, but pretty close. There is also an "Other" column which likely includes other social spending and may have gotten us to that number. But, it's enough of a mixed bag, and way too much work, to try and pick it all out.

While the US could certainly adjust it's spending in a lot of good ways, the idea that the US spends "nothing" on social programs is provably false. These numbers also get weird and much harder to pin down when we look at State level taxes and spending. Many years ago, I dug into education spending in the US. And while Federal Education spending is a drop in the bucket, the actual number is pretty large, because it's considered a State responsibility and each State spends large amounts of money on it.

For example, my home State of Virginia budgets $29.9 Billion for "Health and Human Services" this Fiscal Year 2024 and $25.0 Billion for "Education", those two line items eating up about 62% of the State budget.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Yeah, the military spending is actually pretty loosely connected to the shitty safety net. It's basically hostile to the poor just because. Historically, racial resentment drove a lot of it.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago

I saw them give trillions of free dollars to companies that had just received three years of extremely vigorous tax cuts.

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