The Inequality Delusion

[mawilson 2,133]

That's based on your in depth knowledge of the state of entrepreneurial and business activity in Sweden is it? Or just a sound bite piece of fluff?

Well, maybe not a total disaster, but Sweden ranks #18 on the Ease of Doing Business Index. (The US is #4, UK #5.)

Sweden also has one of the highest personal income tax rates in Europe (55 percent), second only to Denmark (58 percent).

So yeah, a disaster. You can be a successful businessman in Sweden, but you only get to keep 45% of your earnings.

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, maybe not a total disaster, but Sweden ranks #18 on the Ease of Doing Business Index. (The US is #4, UK #5.)

Sweden also has one of the highest personal income tax rates in Europe (55 percent), second only to Denmark (58 percent).

So yeah, a disaster. You can be a successful businessman in Sweden, but you only get to keep 45% of your earnings.

A successful business man in Sweden might well consider paying 55% of earnings into the larger community as part of his success. Keeping all one's earnings is not the be all and end all for everyone. However, I get it; by your definition of success, a Swedish businessman is only partially successful no matter how much his business earns - and presumably Ikea is quite successful.

I would also imagine that part of the reason Sweden ranks lower is because it's a peripheral society - ie geographically peripheral to Europe as well as not having the same economic resources that were derived from colonialism that other countries (like the UK) enjoyed. I could be wrong though, but that's what I think.