Can we talk about Sweden for a bit?
Discussion
Which makes me wonder, what happened to the people evicted? Did they find/could the find alternative accommodation quickly? Did they have children or other vulnerable family members? And what will they think about this, and what might their ideas turn to in the future? A potential powder keg.
Finlandia said:
Weary of internet morons said:
BrabusMog said:
Finlandia said:
In the town where I live the new builds attract such prices that you cannot afford them on a normal wage, and the older/cheaper housings are rapidly being rebuilt to high/luxury standards, with an accompanying price tag.
Maybe we're just in a bubble where we are, but a major attraction of Sweden for me was the low cost of housing. My fiances sister is training to be a nurse and she can afford her own studio apartment with just her CSN money and an extra couple of shifts she does at a nursing home each month. Granted, she nearly didn't get on the course, it was just down to hassling the right people and there are several immigrants on her course that apparently couldn't care less about it. I don't know anyone in London or any major UK town/city that could afford a place on their own whilst a student, unless their parents were paying.
As an example from my town, a month or so ago a student accommodation (a block of flats), probably like the one your OHs sister is living in, evicted all residents with short notice, it is now used as a refugee centre. Immigration services pay more rent than students, by the looks of it.
I think I take a much different look on Sweden as I haven't been here for years, give me more time and I'm sure I'll become as jaded as you guys.
Looket - I take the point you are making and do understand it, but it happens everywhere. The council may not own 70% of housing stock in the UK, but buy to let landlords have certainly bought up a large chunk and had an affect on not just the rental market, but also the market for first and second time buyers. But I am not well equipped to debate these points in detail, I just recycle information I've read or heard from friends and family.
Sweden has clearly slipped from where it once was, but in my opinion it really is not that different from many other developed European countries. But I do have a get out of jail 3 bedroom card in London should we ever need to jump ship, so it's easier for me to be relaxed about it.
It was not even front page stuff in the local paper, just a notice in Vlt after the eviction. The ones evicted, what can you do, ventilate your views on it will soon have you branded as a racist. You have to think of the poor souls needing a home, besides you can move in with some friends, or choose another uni in another town, or something.
I have a feeling that many youngsters of today have been brainwashed into this sort of thinking from the birth, and if not, then the prospect of being branded a racist soon gives you second thoughts.
Not moving out will have you blacklisted and pretty much bummed for life, or at least for many years to come. Sweden is a very bureaucratic country where you are microscopically examined and checked against all sorts of lists, if you fail you are in big and longlasting trouble.
I have a feeling that many youngsters of today have been brainwashed into this sort of thinking from the birth, and if not, then the prospect of being branded a racist soon gives you second thoughts.
Not moving out will have you blacklisted and pretty much bummed for life, or at least for many years to come. Sweden is a very bureaucratic country where you are microscopically examined and checked against all sorts of lists, if you fail you are in big and longlasting trouble.
Income tax for most is around 32% of total salary. The higher bands come in at 450,000sek and 620,000sek pa (I think) where you pay the 32% that everyone else does and then an additional 20% on whatever is over 450k and 25% over 620k. I'm not 100% sure on those figures, I work remotely and am currently still on UK salary, although this will change next year. VAT is 25% here.
Axionknight said:
What're the income tax bands like out of interest?
Depends where you live, but somewhere around 30-34% for council tax, if you are a high earner 20 to 25% state tax on top of the council tax, then you have 25% VAT on just about everything, then you have green taxes, penalty taxes, luxury taxes... Sweden is in the top list of the most taxed countries in the world.As an example, you have a tax on empty media, CD, DVD, HDD, SDD, SD, etc, this tax is to be given to the copyright holder, to compensate for copying, only copying is illegal, so what is the tax for?
BrabusMog said:
Income tax for most is around 32% of total salary. The higher bands come in at 450,000sek and 620,000sek pa (I think) where you pay the 32% that everyone else does and then an additional 20% on whatever is over 450k and 25% over 620k. I'm not 100% sure on those figures, I work remotely and am currently still on UK salary, although this will change next year. VAT is 25% here.
Google suggests you are pretty much correct - so essentially that's 51% if you earn over £34k and 56% if you earn over £79k. The Swedish equivalent of NI means their employers pay more than ours too. As mentioned VAT is 25%. And capital gains is 30%. 
BrabusMog said:
Looket - I take the point you are making and do understand it, but it happens everywhere. The council may not own 70% of housing stock in the UK, but buy to let landlords have certainly bought up a large chunk and had an affect on not just the rental market, but also the market for first and second time buyers. But I am not well equipped to debate these points in detail, I just recycle information I've read or heard from friends and family.
In the UK though you can always find a long-term place to rent, be it a bedsit or a mansion. That's not to say it'll be cheap - the property market in the UK and London in particular is crazy. In Sweden however, not so much. All the queues, communal or otherwise are full. Go small ads and you'll just get stuck in a never ending loop of short-term leases. The only viable option is buying, and that's a whole new can of worms.
Axionknight said:
What're the income tax bands like out of interest?
As per above. For a bit of perspective, if you earn SEK100k/month (equivalent to bang-on £100k/year) you pay ~46% income tax. In the UK you'd pay 35%. And that's after a decade of fairly aggressive tax cuts and various 'tax-switching' policies! 
pbg2770 said:
it's nowhere else which is quite surprising seeing as it plays in to a LOT of current issuesGöteborgsPosten is reporting pro-IS graffiti:
http://www.gp.se/nyheter/goteborg/1.2864445-is-nar...
Expressen is reporting an IS threat in Gothenburg:
http://www.expressen.se/gt/hot-mot-goteborg-sprids...
No sign in the Swedish press of the paperwork that the Mail had found copies of, though. Wonder why?
http://www.gp.se/nyheter/goteborg/1.2864445-is-nar...
Expressen is reporting an IS threat in Gothenburg:
http://www.expressen.se/gt/hot-mot-goteborg-sprids...
No sign in the Swedish press of the paperwork that the Mail had found copies of, though. Wonder why?
Yeah, I hadn't heard anything about that either. I've seen the graffiti reports etc and I saw something about some girl who has been warned to stay away from Göteborg between Xmas and New Years Day as there is something planned. Apparently she was warned by someone who "knows" ISIS and their plans as she had been nice to the guy. Hopefully it's just the usual nonsense, as me and the missus are booked in for New Years Eve at Gothia Towers!
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