Comments on: Hats Off to Skatteverket – a happy tax story

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:02:55 +0000

Regarding the comment about the shock people get from high taxes, people often ask me about the high taxes in Sweden but I really don’t think that for the average tax payer they are that much higher. Of course they are a bit higher but when you compare them to, say the UK (where I am originally from and a supposedly low tax country), well they are just not that much higher. Perhaps the headline tax rate but when you add in the other taxes applied (national insurance in the UK, state taxes in the US, etc) then they’re not that different. Its one of those myths that doesn’t seem to die.

Of course, elements of the tax regime are significantly different but income tax on salary, I just don’t see it being that different in my case (above average earnings but not massively so). When you factor in what you get for your taxes its just a no brainer where economically one is better off.

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:10:35 +0000

that is exactly why I love Sweden! It seems that Swedish government really does care and look out for their people. I am sure there are some areas for improvement (i can’t imagine any governmental system that is perfect)… but over here in the US, I feel that our government doesn’t care very much if their own processes and procedures cause problems or headaches.

I love Sweden and would really like to live there. I looked into it earlier this year. I even called the Consulate General of Sweden in New York to make sure I was understanding everything right… and I was — No work permits for hair stylist.

By: David from Oregon

David from Oregon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:58:04 +0000

I bet that they could have had their tax refund directly deposited into their South Korean banking account if they had requested Skatteverket to transfer their refund in that manner.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:46:06 +0000

Thanks, I have wondered what was going to happen to me when I face the same situation in a couple of years.

But I must say I have been happy with the Skatteverket. Completing my tax declarations in Australia always involved days of collecting information, and finally putting it together. In Sweden all the information is sent, summarized, and I confirm it is correct with an SMS. This is so much easier (and I’ll less afraid of making a mistake).