Helsingin Sanomat noted this morning that Wednesday's tax refunds will mark the start of the Christmas shopping season's for the nation's retailers.
However this once a year injection of cash may soon be only a memory, according to Helsingin Sanomat. Plans by the national tax authority to move over to a system of real-time taxation will mean that few, if any taxpayers will receive refunds or have to pay higher assessments.
The system may be rolled out in 2019. Right now, it is still only a concept. No decision to implement the plan has yet been taken, nor have the technical means been created. The benefit of real-time taxation, says this paper, is that it will allow taxpayers to better stay on top of income and outlays.
The retail sector hasn't voiced opposition to the plan. Although the annual payment of tax refunds gives a kick start to the Christmas shopping season, retailers are confident that people know how to save money to use for seasonal spending.
A bigger worry for retailers is the overall decline in purchasing power. The Finnish Commerce Federation estimates that the volume of Christmas season sales will decline 1.5 percent this year compared to 2013. Last year it was already down by 1.7 percent.
Cop cams
Turun Sanomat reports today that National Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero says that police body cameras would be a welcome addition to the standard equipment carried by law enforcement officers in this country.
The head of the Finnish Police Federation Yrjö Suhonen is also in favour of the idea, saying that they could improve legal protection for police officers, but he also told Turun Sanomat that all aspects of their use should be considered first. One that he mentioned is that they could be an additional stress factor, although he added that the basic assumption is that "the actions of Finnish police can stand the light of day."
National Police Commissioner Paatero did, however, point out that for the time being, cameras are not being purchased. Police officials will have to first look at the practical aspects of the technology, and he also noted that the cameras mounted in police vehicles are developing all the time, making it also worthwhile examining how these could be more effectively used.
Cheaper petrol
Kainuun Sanomat, a daily that appears in the northeastern town of Kajaani, published an article Wednesday with good news for motorists - there is a good chance that the pump price for petrol will continue to fall for the foreseeable future.
It quotes the director of service station operations of the Teboil chain as saying that the current downward price trend is likely go on for a few more months, and see the litre price for petrol fall to less than 1.40 euros.
However, there is wide variation in pump prices of up to 10 cents per litre. Kainuun Sanomat explains that petrol is less expensive in coastal areas because that is where the ports and storage facilities are and transport inland means additional transportation costs.
Lower prices have not, though spurred higher consumption, the sales director of the ST1 chain told the paper. New cars burn less fuel and lower prices do not increase the need for people to drive more.
Finland could do better
The newsstand tabloid Iltalehti took a look at the latest report by Transparency International that this year ranks Finland's public sector as the world's third least corrupt, following Denmark and New Zealand, while followed by Sweden and Norway.
Even with its high ranking, Transparency International says that Finland is not doing enough to root out corruption. In Finland's case, the organization sees a need for more attention to be paid to tax havens, old-boy networks and even more transparency of information in the public sector.
