SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Finland Proposes Taxing the Rich to Take in More Refugees
As Obama administration considers taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees, Finland plans on accepting 30,000
Sep 10, 2015
Finland on Thursday proposed raising taxes on high earners to help pay for an influx of refugees that is expected to arrive later this year from war-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa.
Finance Minister Alexander Stubb said the highest bracket of earners would pay one percent more on capital gains taxes, while those who make more than $81,000 USD (72,300 euros) a year would pay what Stubb referred to as a "solidarity tax."
"These will help to cover higher immigration costs which we estimate to be about 114 million euros this year," Stubb said on Thursday at a press conference.
Finland is expected to take in 30,000 new refugees, compared to just 3,600 last year, at a time when the numbers of asylum seekers from Syria, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, among other countries in the Middle East, are rising with meteoric speed.
As Common Dreams has previously reported, the majority of refugees fleeing war and poverty have found themselves shut out of countries in the European Union and around the world.
Despite Finland's own economic problems, its vow to take on 30,000 asylum seekers come as the U.S. makes much smaller concessions, with President Barack Obama on Friday directing his administration to take in 10,000 Syrians--even as U.S. military escalation in the besieged country creates more humanitarian crises in its wake.
Reuters reports:
The tax proposals may also be aimed to counter accusations that the poor and middle class have been hit worst by government policies. The government also announced that members of parliament would be required to take a week's unpaid holiday and all ministers would forgo a week's pay.
The government is due to decide on the proposal on Friday.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Finland on Thursday proposed raising taxes on high earners to help pay for an influx of refugees that is expected to arrive later this year from war-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa.
Finance Minister Alexander Stubb said the highest bracket of earners would pay one percent more on capital gains taxes, while those who make more than $81,000 USD (72,300 euros) a year would pay what Stubb referred to as a "solidarity tax."
"These will help to cover higher immigration costs which we estimate to be about 114 million euros this year," Stubb said on Thursday at a press conference.
Finland is expected to take in 30,000 new refugees, compared to just 3,600 last year, at a time when the numbers of asylum seekers from Syria, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, among other countries in the Middle East, are rising with meteoric speed.
As Common Dreams has previously reported, the majority of refugees fleeing war and poverty have found themselves shut out of countries in the European Union and around the world.
Despite Finland's own economic problems, its vow to take on 30,000 asylum seekers come as the U.S. makes much smaller concessions, with President Barack Obama on Friday directing his administration to take in 10,000 Syrians--even as U.S. military escalation in the besieged country creates more humanitarian crises in its wake.
Reuters reports:
The tax proposals may also be aimed to counter accusations that the poor and middle class have been hit worst by government policies. The government also announced that members of parliament would be required to take a week's unpaid holiday and all ministers would forgo a week's pay.
The government is due to decide on the proposal on Friday.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Finland on Thursday proposed raising taxes on high earners to help pay for an influx of refugees that is expected to arrive later this year from war-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa.
Finance Minister Alexander Stubb said the highest bracket of earners would pay one percent more on capital gains taxes, while those who make more than $81,000 USD (72,300 euros) a year would pay what Stubb referred to as a "solidarity tax."
"These will help to cover higher immigration costs which we estimate to be about 114 million euros this year," Stubb said on Thursday at a press conference.
Finland is expected to take in 30,000 new refugees, compared to just 3,600 last year, at a time when the numbers of asylum seekers from Syria, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, among other countries in the Middle East, are rising with meteoric speed.
As Common Dreams has previously reported, the majority of refugees fleeing war and poverty have found themselves shut out of countries in the European Union and around the world.
Despite Finland's own economic problems, its vow to take on 30,000 asylum seekers come as the U.S. makes much smaller concessions, with President Barack Obama on Friday directing his administration to take in 10,000 Syrians--even as U.S. military escalation in the besieged country creates more humanitarian crises in its wake.
Reuters reports:
The tax proposals may also be aimed to counter accusations that the poor and middle class have been hit worst by government policies. The government also announced that members of parliament would be required to take a week's unpaid holiday and all ministers would forgo a week's pay.
The government is due to decide on the proposal on Friday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy