Election 2007: Tax cuts or not?

**pete** · 17/05/2007, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

Swedes get taxed at 32% in the normal band and then an extra 20 or 25% in the higher band. I think the higher band is around �50,000.

I doubt 50k would not make you rich in Sweden paying 50-55% on your income & 25% VAT on the remaining 40-45%.

**Risteard** · 17/05/2007, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

So would I but I'm less than convinced that paying more tax would help. I think if the government has shown us anything in the last ten or fifteen years it's that spending more money on something won't necessaraly improve it.

I agree.
Just think the new clowns will do better than FF/PD.
FG are not consistent with my political leanings and I'll have plenty of problems with them in 4 years but I'm sure they wouldn't waste 17 billion on these projects.

**holidaysong** · 18/05/2007, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

Funny thing is, I was in sweden last summer and they couldn't stop telling me how great they think Ireland must be as a country and would list of a pile of problems they have that we don't.

I think a lot of these international comparisons are a case of the grass being greener in the other field.

Yeah I was there myself a few months ago and I got the same kind of thing from the Swedes. They put in a new more right of centre government not too long ago, I'm not sure if things have changed much since then... The thing they seemed to be most worried about was 'the immigrants coming in and taking all their jobs' - maybe we're not so different after all!

**Bald Student** · 18/05/2007, 1:09 AM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

The thing they seemed to be most worried about was 'the immigrants coming in and taking all their jobs' - maybe we're not so different after all!

I noticed that too, it's probably the thing they admired most about Ireland, how we took in a huge influx of foreigners with few problems.

**Bald Student** · 18/05/2007, 1:15 AM

Originally Posted by Risteard

FG are not consistent with my political leanings and I'll have plenty of problems with them in 4 years but I'm sure they wouldn't waste 17 billion on these projects.

I wouldn't be so sure. Some of the logic of that website is suspect but even if you take it at face value, I'd have more confidance in FG and Lab if they had objected to those projects before they'd happened. Noticing a mistake after the event is exactly the same skill FF has.