76-03-B8
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Sweden 2[edit]
Transcript[edit]Yesterday I talked about Sweden's tax policies as something that might have had something to do with the recent election. I'll be right back. Whenever government tries to do things that aren’t properly government's province we the people pay in the loss of freedom & individual rights. Yesterday I told you about Sweden's tax policies which ranged from 40% of the average workers income to more than 100% of earnings above $33,000. I suggested this might have had something to do with the recent election when Sweden's 40 yrs. of socialism was were repudiated by the voters. But it wasn’t just money in my opinion. Socialism, exacts a higher price far dearer than money. In an effort to ease the tax burden the people of Sweden have resorted to barter. A dentist or doctor needing a few house repairs will exchange treatment for carpenter or plumbing work with a patient skilled in those crafts. The shoe merchant and the grocer trade in each others stock. Government of course responded. The Secretary of Justice1 took the position that crimes against society are more dastardly than crimes against individuals. In other words it’s worse to be a tax dodger than a thief or a burglar. So under this philosophy and with government’s natural tendency to invoke emergency as an excuse Sweden's civil liberties began to erode. A law was passed to “secure evidence in taxation cases.” Tax authorities suddenly had the right to search any office or factory at any time without offering the usual evidence necessary to get a warrant. They did get a court order to search private dwellings but the citizen is not notified he’s under suspicion nor is he warned of the coming of the tax authorities. Professional privacy—the traditional relationship between Doctor and patient no longer exists where the tax police are concerned. In one case which fortunately got wide publicity the tax police not only checked a doctor's files they then went through the files of thousands of patients back through the years. Maybe it’s time for us to ask if we are still safe in our books and records—one of the basic rights we fought for in the American Revolution. Internal Revenue doesn’t think so and certainly their is violation of the private relationship between banker and depositor where questions of income tax are concerned. It was probably the indignity of government invading their privacy more than the actual tax burden that prompted the people of Sweden to vote against 40 years of socialist rule. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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