Australian Politics Forum - Why are Nordic countries the happiest

Sprintcyclist

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #15 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 7:54pm

John Smith wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 1:47pm:

tickleandrose wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:25am:

It is because of socialism.

and high taxes

Both comments are quite correct

Quote:

............ Researchers have come up with a strong link between progressive taxation - a tax rate that increases as the taxable amount increases - and people’s assessment of how happy they are.

Progressive taxation leads to happiness via public and common goods such as health care, education, and public transportation that the taxation helps to fund. And ultimately, you guessed it, trust. People trust the money will be used and distributed wisely. .............

Same as here. Those that can pay more do.
It makes for a more equitable society, which is happier overall.

For some 60 years America and Australia have been becoming less equitable and less unified.
Rich have paid less tax and got richer.
Poor have been harder treated and become less happy.

Whether a person has $20B or $180B probably does not affect their happiness.
If that society has good hospitals, working conditions and infrastructure that is positive for the whole society.

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Frank

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #16 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 8:03pm

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 7:54pm:

John Smith wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 1:47pm:

tickleandrose wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:25am:

It is because of socialism.

and high taxes

Both comments are quite correct

Pretty simplistic.

https://www.compareyourcountry.org/tax-revenues

The French should be the happiest people if it was that simple.
But they riot more than anyone else.

The Italians and the Greeks should also be happier but they aren't.

Nauru and Lesotho are up there with tax take but not happiness.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_r...

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Aurora Complexus

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #17 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:23pm

Australia also ranks quite well in happiness surveys. We're barely socialist at all, compared to Sweden, but we have natural advantages similar to Norway.

Income taxes cause suffering, while government spending alleviates it. It's a great advantage to have revenue from other sources, like corporate taxes or resource levies.

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Aurora Complexus

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #18 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:27pm

Frank wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 8:03pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 7:54pm:

John Smith wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 1:47pm:

tickleandrose wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:25am:

It is because of socialism.

and high taxes

Both comments are quite correct

Pretty simplistic.

https://www.compareyourcountry.org/tax-revenues

The French should be the happiest people if it was that simple.
But they riot more than anyone else.

The Italians and the Greeks should also be happier but they aren't.

Nauru and Lesotho are up there with tax take but not happiness.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_r...

Nauru and Lesotho have tiny tax bases. Poor countries in general can't solve their problems with tax. Hence why we give them foreign aid.

And France is ranked 27th (of 143) which isn't that terrible.

https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/WHR+24.pdf

France does have high 'tax' rate (in the broadest sense,) but it includes compulsory unemployment insurance, retirement insurance, health insurance and so on. In Australia these are payed by the state (though super is subsidized.) Total tax rates for those below medium income, are actually quite high.

Worldwide there's a problem of more and more money going to corporations (including obviously banks.) We need an international compact to tax them more, because they can easily relocate to whoever offers the easiest tax regime.

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« Last Edit: Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:43pm by Aurora Complexus »

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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #19 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:39pm

Frank wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 8:03pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 7:54pm:

John Smith wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 1:47pm:

tickleandrose wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:25am:

It is because of socialism.

and high taxes

Both comments are quite correct

Pretty simplistic.

https://www.compareyourcountry.org/tax-revenues

The French should be the happiest people if it was that simple.
But they riot more than anyone else.

The Italians and the Greeks should also be happier but they aren't.

Nauru and Lesotho are up there with tax take but not happiness.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_r...

yes, it is a very simplistic abbreviation of a very large document.
Quite a few other factors are in play.
eg, the populace have to have confidence the Govt is not corrupt and is acting responsibly.

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Aurora Complexus

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #20 - Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:49pm

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:39pm:

Frank wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 8:03pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 7:54pm:

John Smith wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 1:47pm:

tickleandrose wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:25am:

It is because of socialism.

and high taxes

Both comments are quite correct

Pretty simplistic.

https://www.compareyourcountry.org/tax-revenues

The French should be the happiest people if it was that simple.
But they riot more than anyone else.

The Italians and the Greeks should also be happier but they aren't.

Nauru and Lesotho are up there with tax take but not happiness.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_r...

yes, it is a very simplistic abbreviation of a very large document.
Quite a few other factors are in play.
eg, the populace have to have confidence the Govt is not corrupt and is acting responsibly.

In the worst cases, the tax money never gets spent. It's embezzled at various levels of government.

In Australia, with much more tax money to spend, it doesn't make much difference that politicians have their housing and transport paid for. But in Nauru that's serious money of the taxpayer's pocket which is never put back in the other pocket.

Resentment is surely a factor in unhappiness. It's not just that the people aren't getting spending on their needs (and wants) but they're just plain unhappy about how the "other half" are living. They are unhappy about the "rich" too of course, but the rich aren't taking their money at the point of a gun.

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UnSubRocky

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #21 - Oct 12^th, 2024 at 11:33am

tallowood wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 6:11pm:

Quote:

Where I am from, we have a large presence of people who settled the Central Qld region from Nordic regions.

Remind them sauna back home.

That is probably the reason. And the Scandinavians liked the bitter cold, dry weather we had. Many settled inland near Mount Morgan.

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At this stage...

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tallowood

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #22 - Oct 12^th, 2024 at 12:01pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Oct 12^th, 2024 at 11:33am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 6:11pm:

Quote:

Where I am from, we have a large presence of people who settled the Central Qld region from Nordic regions.

Remind them sauna back home.

That is probably the reason. And the Scandinavians liked the bitter cold, dry weather we had. Many settled inland near Mount Morgan.

I spent few months in Mount Morgan years ago. The place was in depression because closer of the gold mine.
I was contracted by Renaissance Gold to find more gold there. I actually liked the town.

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thegreatdivide

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #23 - Oct 12^th, 2024 at 1:03pm

Aurora Complexus wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:23pm:

Australia also ranks quite well in happiness surveys. We're barely socialist at all, compared to Sweden, but we have natural advantages similar to Norway.

Income taxes cause suffering, while government spending alleviates it. It's a great advantage to have revenue from other sources, like corporate taxes or resource levies.

Good points.

A nation's resource endowments are also vital for national prosperity and happiness.

Oz doesn't tax (levy) it's gas resource sufficiently, the profits are going overseas.

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Grappler Truth Teller Feller

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #24 - Oct 12^th, 2024 at 7:08pm

Fewer Mussos? I'm curious...... not that there's ... you know...

Their Indigenous control their land, water and resources under a sort of middling socialist arrangement designed to benefit the nation as a whole... here, of course, the demand is for our First Invaders, Groups Various Of, to be handed total control over land, water and resources .. it's a part of their grab for Apartheidist Supremacy of The Minority = Aboriginal Supremacism pursued via the states, under control of the Kentral Kommissariat in Kanberra (KKK), licking their nuts and pushing forward with all their demands, bit by bit, this being clearly a Voice By Stealth and more.

That'll give their ulcers an acid boost....

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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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Aurora Complexus

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Re: Why are Nordic countries the happiest
Reply #25 - Oct 12^th, 2024 at 9:09pm

tallowood wrote on Oct 12^th, 2024 at 12:01pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Oct 12^th, 2024 at 11:33am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 6:11pm:

Quote:

Where I am from, we have a large presence of people who settled the Central Qld region from Nordic regions.

Remind them sauna back home.

That is probably the reason. And the Scandinavians liked the bitter cold, dry weather we had. Many settled inland near Mount Morgan.

I spent few months in Mount Morgan years ago. The place was in depression because closer of the gold mine.
I was contracted by Renaissance Gold to find more gold there. I actually liked the town.

Gold is notorious for being volatile. You have the world price which isn't at all stable, but you also have a 'trajectory' of gold extraction. Very high at first (a "gold boom") but always diminishing until it hits the price of extraction.

Oil is different. The world price is always increasing, however individual oil wells have diminishing production. Fracking bends the curve, but even the best fracked wells in the US have higher costs than the "gushers" in the Middle East.

Bringing us to Australia's "gold mine" which is gas. We should be taxing gas EXPORTS up to the point they shrink significantly (and domestic gas users are very pleased.) Then back it off. Gas companies can't be trusted to say where the profitability after tax point is. They will only tell the truth with their money.

Coal is also very profitable for Australia, and what the greenies like to ignore is that Australia is rich in metallurgical coal: that is, the coal which essential for making steel. It's possible to substitute aluminium, however virtually all aluminium is smelted using electricity. I read somewhere that aluminium has four times the carbon footprint of steel (kilo for kilo.) In any case, we're not going back to a world without steel OR aluminium. You can make a house out of mud, but you can't make a road or rail overpass.

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