HIGHER TAXED COUNTRIES DO BETTER

CBC NEWS - People who live in countries with higher taxes enjoy lower
rates of poverty, have more equal income distribution, more economic
security for workers and can expect to live longer, suggests a new study
from a left-leaning think tank. Written by two Toronto tax law
professors for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the report,
released Wednesday, is blunt. "Tax cuts are disastrous for the
well-being of a nation's citizens," say authors Neil Brooks and Thaddeus
Hwong.

The study compares four high-tax Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, and Finland) with six low-tax Anglo-American countries (the
U.K., U.S., Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand).

The four Nordic countries scored better than the lower-taxed countries
on most of the 50 indicators measured in the report, including:

Rate of poverty, equality of income distribution, and economic security
for workers. . . GDP per capita. . . Rate of household saving and net
national saving. . . Innovation, including percentage of GDP spent on
research and development. . . Growth competitiveness as ranked by the
World Economic Forum. . . Rates of secondary school and university
completion. . . Rate of drug use. . . Leisure time.

The more lowly taxed countries came out on top in seven of the 50
indicators, including their sense of freedom, their suicide rates and
the number of people reporting they are very happy.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/06/tax-policyalternatives.html

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