There are well-used tax money, then there are stupidly burned tax money on ie buying favors of some part of population before elections, financing blindly without any checks social security programs that get abused to no end, or simply plain old corruption.
I love bringing Switzerland up to annoy most of western/northern Europeans since their success is so obvious and undeniable while going in very different direction than most of Europe. Low to low-medium taxes, yet state budgets are frequently in positive numbers, there is no end to money spend on infra projects, train infra, but also rather strong social programs (just not ridiculously bad as mentioned above), top notch free healthcare and education. VAT taxes are 2-8% instead of 20-23% in all countries around. Country simply works(TM) because population is not hard comfort-zone-addicted and entitled bunch of spoiled whiny kids, they work relatively hard and it brings results, consistently and long term. They don't work more than americans nor asians, but thats enough for their prosperity.
Do you think lets say a heavy tax burden in say Italy, or even France (not even going more into southern or eastern EU since that would be a small book) is really used well and efficiently? I visit those places frequently and it certainly doesn't seem that way. Random examples - Italy has garbage everywhere, people drive to highway stops to drop it there (so the wind blows it all around). Infrastructure seems like from 80s, with added age. From people dealing with bureaucracy there - its stuck in 19th century, direct approach will get you often nowhere. France - most communist state in western Europe, heck in all Europe, sans Belarus maybe. Yet if you talk to people, they are constantly pissed off at government, never happy with society or state they live in. I don't blame them, listening to French colleagues complain is often rather sad experience. Not something you read in travel guides, do you.
> Do you think lets say a heavy tax burden in say Italy, or even France [] is really used well and efficiently?
Those two countries are textbook examples of ineffective state taxation-wise. Similar insane tax burden can be found in Scandinavian countries but at the same time these are the happiest countries in the world [1].
And I live in Poland where taxes are used efficiently. Or so it seems on a daily basis.
Yeah Poland's growth is very respectable, keep it up and become economic tiger of EU. Most of western EU is ossificated and can't act fast enough in global market economy. Germans are starting to feel whats coming for their economy and it isn't nice.
Well let's see how good that Swiss Model would work as a big normal state, and not as a small tax haven, smaller than the State of Baden-Württemberg living off those surrounding states (siphoning up wealthy people, who got rich in those countries, and also their academics, that they didn't have to pay the education for)
Free Schengen movement that you germans fought so hard for. Its nice only if you siphon talent from the eastern part of EU and poorer parts of the world (where same brain drain logic and morality applies), but when people go to better places suddenly its an issue?
Hmm this is surely a brain teaser and not a serious comment. More work as in 40 hours of work, or less if you agree sub-100% contract, ie I have 90% and 10 weeks of paid vacation. And less taxes mean more money for you if you didn't catch that part, that you can invest ie in working less, or retire earlier.
The fact the country runs better than literally anything else in European continent is motivating enough for many folks. Higher quality free education, better healthcare, lower criminality, country simply has better future when looking at past and current situation. I am more than happy to put the same 40h work week I would be working mostly elsewhere, to give my kids a (much) better start in life, and to give the same better life to myself. Easy deal, but please stay at home and be happy if you are, I am not selling this country just showing other, sometimes inconvenient facts.
It doesn't hurt that Swiss immigration is very difficult to get through, and they have all that Holocaust money no Nazi or dead Jewish victim is ever going to come claim.
Lol was expecting such brilliant comment, didn't disappoint. A true sign of an educated peer, who knows Swiss history and current economics and understands well how much that money that was put into private banks contributed in last decades (cue - zero). But maga-level of discussions never fail to mention this, with zero facts to back that up.
Immigration is tough, but managed way better than any EU country. Half of the world wants to come here, its a tiny place so it only makes sense they take only those who can find job in the country. Even though EU tried many times to strong arm them.
I don't think people understand the concept of neutrality, its fine only if it suits them. They accepted both jewish and other refugees, and also germans. Even when completely surrounded by axis. Nazi leadership repeatedly claimed in their writing how Swiss confederacy is the biggest principal enemy of nazi 3rd reich and must be eliminated at all costs. (Some) Swiss understood the danger much better than rest of European countries who tried to appease hitler. Also Swiss helped allies way more than they tolerated nazis and gave them ie access to Campione d'Italia to organize fight against axis. For further reading please check this starting point [1] if you actually care to understand history
I love bringing Switzerland up to annoy most of western/northern Europeans since their success is so obvious and undeniable while going in very different direction than most of Europe. Low to low-medium taxes, yet state budgets are frequently in positive numbers, there is no end to money spend on infra projects, train infra, but also rather strong social programs (just not ridiculously bad as mentioned above), top notch free healthcare and education. VAT taxes are 2-8% instead of 20-23% in all countries around. Country simply works(TM) because population is not hard comfort-zone-addicted and entitled bunch of spoiled whiny kids, they work relatively hard and it brings results, consistently and long term. They don't work more than americans nor asians, but thats enough for their prosperity.
Do you think lets say a heavy tax burden in say Italy, or even France (not even going more into southern or eastern EU since that would be a small book) is really used well and efficiently? I visit those places frequently and it certainly doesn't seem that way. Random examples - Italy has garbage everywhere, people drive to highway stops to drop it there (so the wind blows it all around). Infrastructure seems like from 80s, with added age. From people dealing with bureaucracy there - its stuck in 19th century, direct approach will get you often nowhere. France - most communist state in western Europe, heck in all Europe, sans Belarus maybe. Yet if you talk to people, they are constantly pissed off at government, never happy with society or state they live in. I don't blame them, listening to French colleagues complain is often rather sad experience. Not something you read in travel guides, do you.