Three news items ftom today

[Eldritch]

PM: Taxes Will Rise

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Mari Kiviniemi

Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi says she believes that tax rates will go up in coming years. Addressing a Central Chamber of Commerce gathering in Helsinki on Wednesday, Kiviniemi added that it is clear that more tax revenues will be needed to balance state finances.

Although she pointed to a need for more revenues, the Prime Minister also said that in her view higher taxes on work and entrepreneurship should be avoided, and income taxes should remain progressive.

In contrast, she sees some room to raise capital gains taxes.

Kiviniemi furthermore said that there are no assurances that the economic recession is over. Even so, she considers a twin recession is unlikely and that a period of slow growth is ahead.

The Prime Minister believes that state indebtedness will continue and state finances will not be in balance before around mid-decade.



More Families in Need of Food Assistance

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This mobile shop in Tampere delivers food to the poor.

Finland is relying more heavily on EU subsidised food for the needy. An increasing number of families with small children are applying for food assistance.

Last year, 13,000 people received food aid from a mobile store in Tampere. Matti Helin, the director of social work for the parishes in Tampere, says that he expects the number of patrons to rise. He adds that about a quarter of the clients are families with small children.

There is a growing need throughout the country for food donations. Last year, Finland applied for 2.2 million kilos of food aid from the EU. This year, the number went up by half a million kilos.

Meanwhile, as the need for assistance grows, food donations have fallen. Last year, for example, the Mannerheim League ran out of aid packages for the needy.


MPs See Eight Percent Salary Hike

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Finnish members of Parliament will be receiving fatter paychecks thanks to an eight percent raise. Parliament's salary committee cleared the decision on Tuesday.

At the beginning of November MPs monthly base pay will rise by 1.5 percent from 5,860 euros to 5,948 euros. The speaker’s salary will meanwhile increase to 10,962 euros, up from 10,800 euros.

A second increase of 6.5 percent will be instated following next spring’s general elections, bringing parliamentarians' salaries to 6,335 euros per month and the speaker’s to 11,675 euros.

Parliamentarians were previously granted a raise in May of 2008.

[Groenewolf]

Come the first thing can hardly be called a news item. They will always rise. It would be a news item if they really became lower for a long time.

[Eldritch]

Come the first thing can hardly be called a news item. They will always rise. It would be a news item if they really became lower for a long time.

I guess I was (clumsily) trying to make the point that while poverty and unemployment are rising, the MP's see this as the proper moment to give themselves another rise. Well, since they just cut the resources used to employ youth and the long-term unemployed by 60 mil, I guess they can afford it.

I don't want to get to graphic, this being an all-ages forum and all, but if I had my way there'd be no shortages of soap and lampshades in this country for a while.

[Motörhead Remember Me]

"Finnish members of Parliament will be receiving fatter paychecks thanks to an eight percent raise."

This disgusts me.

At the same time they urge workers to be patient and moderate with their raise demands.