Is this what passes for a tax revolt in Europe?
Norwegians are among the most heavily taxed people in the world, and that in turn has made Norway one of the most expensive countries in which to live. Most accept the taxes they're ordered to pay on income and even net worth and property, but growing numbers are publicly complaining about sky-high taxes on everything from cars to fuel to consumer goods.
Taxes in Norway double the price of a car, and they're just now complaining? "Irritation grows," the headline says. If it takes that much to irritate Norwegians, I'd hate so see what makes them hopping mad.
Comments
Norway has done a lot of smart things to leverage its North Sea Oil bonanza for long term benefit.
It has kept government spending increases to a minimum, kept wage increases in the manufacturing sector ties to increases in productivity, and set up a petroleum trust fund to provide for future cash flow stability and to provide the financing to adjust to its post oil ear. That fund is now in excess of $120B USD.
That and they have continued to pay more at the pump than most other EU countries or about $5.50 per US gallon.
Whether that is dumb or smart in the long term depends upon how scarce you believe petroleum will become in the next few years.
With regards to taxes doubling the cost of cars. That seems more like a Libertarian solution than a socialist one. It is estimated that our car taxes (tolls, gas tax, registration fees)
only account for 1/3 to 40% of the actual cost of driving.
Are higher car costs a way to recapture those public costs that we pass along in the former of higher general taxes?
Perhaps Norwegians are slow to become irritated because their quality of life has improved very much since the late 1980's when North Sea Oil came on line.
They used to be well down the list of countries in terms of most quality of life indexes, In recent years they have risen up the list and are not near the top.
That last sentence should read "...and are now near the top.
:) Makes a bit of a difference.