Your neighbour’s income is none of your business
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The Local’s Managing Editor James Savage has just had an article published on Swedish opinion website Newsmill. “Your neighbour’s income is none of your business“, he argues.
At the bottom of every Newsmill article, readers are asked for their opinion. In this case, the question up for “milling” is: How do you feel about publication of income details? Angry, bored, curious or happy [Arg, Uttråkad, Nyfiken, Glad].
For those of you who speak Swedish, we recommend you have a read and have your say.
The article will also be published in English on The Local next week. But even if you don’t speak Swedish, here’s the central argument if you want to pop over to Newsmill and give your view:
The purpose of the principle public access to official documents is for citizens to hold the state to account, in the public interest. The way politicians and state employees use their power and the public’s money should, of course, be open to public scrutiny. Finding out other people’s incomes might be interesting to the public, but that does not mean that it is in the public interest.
See also - Newspaper rich lists: public service or invasion of privacy?
February 21st, 2009 at 5:11 pm
in a country where no one is allowed to be better than anyone else though, what better way to see how valuable people are than to take a look at their income?
its disgusting. and frightening.
February 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
It is good to know income of people in the various types of jobs that will help to negotiate better wages incase, an employer want to play smart. It will also be important to evaluate the income disparity among people of which a huge gap in income is not desirable in an egalitarian society like Sweden.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
With tax authorities able to tell you what you can call your new born child (or cannot call the child), with a number you have to quote over and over again rather than just give your name, what more do we need? OH yes, we need everyone to know our income, lets not forget anyone can find our address,do we need more examples of the errosion of individual freedoms? This enforced egalitarianism (so-called) is an insult to those who feel that group control is the way of fascism or communism and has no place in a free democratic society. The totalitarian state is dying in most parts of the world, lets hope Sweden wakes up to this fact!
March 20th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
One possible use of those Kommun-specific Taxeringskalendrar, that I’ve seen at public libraries:
If your neighbor happens to be cheating on their tax, ie, in a big way, and you notice a lot of unexplained “conspicuous consumption” (yes, yes, I know that couldn’t happen in SE… ie, either the conspicuous consumption -or- your noticing it -or- both), you might be in a position to report [possible tax fraud]…?
April 6th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Doesn’t surprise me in the slightest to be honest.
Sometimes, as much as I love living here, I feel that Swedes are too accepting and to ready to say “well, thats hows it it” (men så är det) and do not challenge anything.
Far too much red tape and restrictive practises – this wonderful country needs to allow people to be different, better or worse than their fellow neighbour.
Success should be rewarded and being different encouraged.
I do not want anyone knowing what I earn or don’t earn and I certainly am not happy that some person in a Union gets to decide my worth in a job! That is for me to do – negotiate my salary according to my age and experience.
Sometimes I wonder if this country will EVER get away from the “State knows best” mentality – I hope so before it produces a country full of sheep who go blindly where they are told and lose every personal freedom.