The Nordic model provides free healthcare, education, childcare, and more, but it comes at a very steep price compared to what we pay now:
If you want the Nordic model, no matter where you are on the economic ladder, you will bend over for the tax man and no lubrication will be provided. All of the Nordic countries have a 25% VAT, they all tax the shit out of gasoline, diesel, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. Norway is a petro-state, and gas is $8 per gallon there because of taxes. In Denmark, to register a $20,000 car, there is an 85% tax. A $40,000 car gets hit with a 150% tax. That's why you see pictures of miserable Danes riding their bikes in the rain and snow.
This one is from Gemini:
This post is a fairly typical example of American political rhetoric, mixing grains of truth with exaggerations and ideological spin to make a political point. In this case: “The Nordic model = sky-high taxes + miserable cycling socialists.”
Let’s break it down objectively:
- Tax levels and revenue per capita
It’s partly true that Denmark collects more tax revenue per capita than the US, so the raw numbers aren’t entirely wrong. What they don’t tell you is that Denmark gets far more in return: free healthcare, education, childcare, pension and social security. Americans pay for these same things privately , through insurance premiums, college tuition, medical bills, and so on.When you count what households actually pay, the difference is far less and in favor of Denmark In other words: Denmark collects more through public channels, but Americans pay even more, just to private actors instead of the state. It’s also telling that Denmark was chosen as the example here, since it has the highest overall tax burden in the Nordics, higher than Sweden, Norway, or Finland.
And as for the “miserable Danes riding their bikes in the rain” Danes cycle mostly by choice, because: It’s faster in cities, It’s cheaper, and The cycling infrastructure is excellent. Calling them “miserable” says more about American values than about Danish quality of life.
In all international comparisons (UN, OECD, World Happiness Report), Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland consistently rank among the world’s happiest nations well ahead of the US
Yes, gasoline is more expensive in Norway and Denmark (around $6–$8 per gallon), but that’s deliberate. It’s part of climate and transportation policy, not a side effect of socialism. Norway heavily subsidizes electric vehicles, which is why over 80% of new car sales are now EVs. High fuel taxes fund infrastructure and welfare, not private profits. It’s also true that Denmark has a car registration tax of 85–150%, but that’s partly offset by other factors. Owning a car is less necessary due to good public transportation and shorter distances.
Those who genuinely need a car can get deductions for certain types (EVs, work vehicles, etc.). And just like in Sweden, Danes can deduct commuting costs when no adequate public transport is available. This deduction includes not only fuel but also maintenance costs. As of 2025, the deduction rate is about 2.2 Danish kroner per kilometer.
- The rhetorical distortion
The core trick in the OP post is comparing taxes without comparing what you get for them. An average American family often pays $12,000–$20,000 per year for health insurance, thousands more for college or daycare, plus extra for pensions, medical emergencies, and other risks covered by the state in the Nordics.
So yes; you “bend over for the tax man” in Denmark. But in the US, you bend over for the insurance companies, hospitals, and universities instead. The difference lies in who takes your money. Private corporations or the state, and what happens to what’s left over. In the Nordic countries, any surplus goes toward improving public infrastructure like roads, hospitals, services. In the US, it tends to go toward making the top 10% even richer. The surplus or profits in the welfare system are much larger in the US than in Denmark and the services cost more. To provide Americans with Danish-level welfare at American cost levels, the US would need roughly $37,000–$40,000 in public revenue per capita, more than double today’s figure. So these industries has a lot of winnings that do not come the taxpayers But to be fair, we need to way in better salaries in the US for the same upper and middle class job as well. This however does not translate to the working class. The danish workingclass has not only al above they also have better salaries…
people like me who do not HAVE to work because we are comfortable enough wealth wise that I don’t HAVE to. 
atr.org
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