Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

[p_rushing]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

Cebby is right.



Also, just because you have a right to buy it, doesn't mean you can pay for it. They aren't giving you free internet, they are just saying you should have the ability to buy. They might not even need to put any wires down. Just put 4G or maybe even 3G coverage over the entire country and you meet the laws.

[superjames1992]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

Let them have their broadband! I'd rather have a superior gross domestic product per capita (US: $46,400, Finland: $34,900)!

[mikko1995]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

Yeah, the US really needs to push something like this or we'll see the edge in IT and tech development/engineering shifting ever more overseas.

Speaking of Finland, how difficult would it be for a small family with a six year old son to adapt to your country? My wife's company might be expanding into that neck of the woods and we're quite interested in moving that way.

Well, it's quite easy to adapt, we are helpful, but then you don't want to go to a place where they dont' speak English alot, well, there isn't any place like that anymore. And if you come to Finland, you should make your son to learn Finnish, he is that young and it is easy to learn it when you are young. So basicly you survive with English in Finland, but then it might be little hard to get Finnish friends, because of the language barrier. So you really might want you son to learn Finnish so that he would get friends there too, because Finns start to study English when they are 9-years-old. And better get used to bright nights at summer, we have Midightsun in summer. And in the winter there is 2-6 hours of light in the day.

[bamalam]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

for all you finland lovers, here are some numbers for you:



1. income tax(as of 2009)

<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="30%" bgColor=#808080 align=center><TBODY><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TH>Tax (%)</TH><TH>Tax Base (EUR)</TH></TR><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TD>0</TD><TD>1-13,100</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TD>7%</TD><TD>13,101-21,700</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TD>18%</TD><TD>21,701-35,300</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TD>22%</TD><TD>35,301-64,500</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffd4a8><TD>30.5%</TD><TD>64,501 And Over</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
2. municipal tax

In addition to direct taxation there is also municipal tax in Finland. This tax is payable by an individual on his or her income and it fluctuates between 16% - 21% depending on the municipal authority.


3. Church tax of 1%- 2.25% is also payable.


4. In Finland, the standard rate of VAT is 22%, but will rise by one percentage point to 23% in July 2010

that like a 23% sales tax , holy crap.

they are not getting free broadband.

it would cost usa much more to provide for 350 million vs finland population.

[Unlucky 13]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

[quote][It's pretty simple in the US. If you want services, you live in or near a city and pay a lot of money. If you want to live in the middle of nowhere, you get fewer services and pay minimal taxes. I tend to believe that most people understand this. That's why the most densely populated states and cities pay high taxes and those who live in isolation don't have to pay much to do so. If a guy in Alaska or the Dakotas wants broadband, he can move somewhere where there are other people./[QUOTE]

Its very easy to take this mindset if you are a "have" and not a "have not", Im sure. If you, like me, lived in an area that may never get broadband, your outlook might be different. Have you considered that real estate prices often force people to live outside of urban areas, and that many hardworking people simply cannot "move closer", as you suggest?

[mikko1995]

Re: Broadband is your legal right, if you live in Finland

for all you finland lovers, here are some numbers for you:



1. income tax(as of 2009)

<table align="center" bgcolor="#808080" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="30%"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><th>Tax (%)</th><th>Tax Base (EUR)</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><td>0</td><td>1-13,100</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><td>7%</td><td>13,101-21,700</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><td>18%</td><td>21,701-35,300</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><td>22%</td><td>35,301-64,500</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffd4a8"><td>30.5%</td><td>64,501 And Over</td></tr></tbody></table>
2. municipal tax

In addition to direct taxation there is also municipal tax in Finland. This tax is payable by an individual on his or her income and it fluctuates between 16% - 21% depending on the municipal authority.


3. Church tax of 1%- 2.25% is also payable.


4. In Finland, the standard rate of VAT is 22%, but will rise by one percentage point to 23% in July 2010

that like a 23% sales tax , holy crap.

they are not getting free broadband.

it would cost usa much more to provide for 350 million vs finland population.

Well you are right about the first two things, then that Church Tax, it takes only about 50-200 € per year, or something like that. So that's not that big, then that VAT thing, it's true that it rised, but it didn't show in almost any thing. Actually, restaurant's are cheaper now, and I haven't even noticed that it have rised, because it only rises in some things, not in all. For example my cousin bought new stereo's this week, and VAT was still 22%, I bought a Green Day's record, and VAT was 23%. So it doesn't effect that much.

Just what saying this. But mostly you are right.