For the last decade, and possibly even a lot longer, SKAT, (The Danish IRS) have been seeing a higher amount of controversy in the publics eye. Where they've ruined more lives each year, and the generel population have begun to realize how worthless it actually is as an institution.
SKAT though, have come up with a brilliant solution to that.
- In Denmark, it used to be, that if you wanted a tiny bit of knowledge about SKAT, you had to get it from people you knew. That was before the internet though. And so, people like me, got a shock on our first paycheck.
Now, SKAT have developed a curriculum for public school, (Yeah, SKAT have developed it. Let that sink in, as I go over some of the stuff they've made public on their website so far.)
The very first thing you get to, after you submit the "personal info" they require. (I told them I'm a 10 year old girl, in 10th grade. And that my school is named "Taxation is Theft") Is a ramble about the welfare you supposedly get for paying taxes. It goes something along the lines of;
How would you document with a camera, that you live in a welfare society? You can visit a hospital, or a public school, and take all the pictures you want, but they're just building. And if you don't know it, you won't be able to see what it is.
The list of welfare goods from the state is a long one; schools, educations, retirement homes, healthcare.... etc....
The welfare society is a natural thing in our daily lives, and therefore, people don't think about, where the money comes from.
Okay. Let me just point out, that the last one is absolutely true. - Most people don't actually think about it, since most people don't actually get robbed by the state. (With 2/3 of the population being government employed, or just being on social security or similar.)
- But instead of actually explaining where the money comes from, they move on to "explaining" how the money is shared between the different vranches of government.
(Their own pie chart) - Though that chart, is what they call an explanation for it..
They then go into a very short explanation about taxes, both "direct", and "indirect". With the lowest income tax at 37 percent, and the highest at 52 percent. (Though, I don't remember meeting a single person, that only pays 37 percent.), And if you earn more than 70.000$ a year, you have to pay an extra tax of 15 percent, on top of the 52.
They then go on to "explaining" a little about indirect taxes. And how you pay 25 percent VATS, which is on almost everything in Denmark. Only a very few goods, don't have VATS on them. They even set it up like this;
When you shop for groceries, take a shower, or shop online, you also pay taxes in form of VATS, excise duties, and customs.
Though, when mentioning showers, they fail to mention that water is often taxed by more than a 1.000 percent.(The same goes with heat and electricity.)
- Here's another of their own charts. And as you can see, even if you only paid 37 percent income tax. You'd have waaaay less than 50 percent of your paycheck left, when it's added up. (And this is just according to their own char. - According to a friend of mine, that makes some nice analysis of the Danish tax bracket. The lowest monthly tax, is above 70 percent. When you add it all up.)
I'll end it with them trying to explain what the taxes pays for. I've only skipped through the very first page so far, and there's simply too much, and my post will be insanely long if I go over everything.
With Denmark being a welfare society, it implies that the "public purse", - i.e the state and municipals - firstly sets up a line of goods free of charge. You can borrow books on the library, go to school, and get to the hospital, without taking money out of your pockets.
^ That's utter bullshit though. The standard of Danish hospitals have been diclining for many years now. And you actually have to bring your own blankets, pillows and the likes, now a days. - Not to mention, that people actually die from simple errors, and poor hygiejne. And that's if you're lucky. During my old job, we had a shitload of people coming to us, because they've had their lives ruined from entering the public system. Some had lost arms or legs. Some where in indiscribable pain from infections. And some had just been completely forgotten.
- I remember my last visit to the hospital. I had a rather large outbreak of Herpes Zoster(Shingles - Mutated chicken pox), I was stuffed with some herpes medication, which didn't work, and then I was left to fend for myself. Even with thoughts of suicide, thanks to the pain. (If you haven't experienced Herpes Zoster, then it's insanely painful. I had an infection in my lung tissue years before, where the doctors thought it was a collapsed lung. <- The pain couldn't compare to it. - And I hope you'll never experience either of them.)
Also. What they fail to mention, when talking about the stuff that taxes pay for in Denmark. Is. All the bullshit.
We have Santas riding bikes. Public strawberry fields. Electric bikes, worth 20.000$ each. Interactive park benches, for 200.000$ each. And not to forget, all the insane "art" projects, where just a few weeks ago, an "artist", gained 75.000$ of tax money, to cover his own mother in paint, and have her sail out on a pond. (Something like that anyway. I didn't pay attention.)
Well, anyway. This was a tiny insight, into the Danish tax farm. I might cover some more about their propaganda at some point, but I'll end it with saying that I don't pay taxes myself, because Taxation is Theft