Taxes may be the benchmark of a functional government, but they're no fun. To lessen the pain of handing over hard-earned cash, the Finnish Tax Association is beefing up its PR regarding how taxes are used to improve lives.
In a Netflix-type site called happytaxpayer.com, Finland shows its taxpayers the projects that taxpayer dollars make possible. I was pleasantly surprised to find that cookies were opt-in rather than opt-out, and I was even more delighted by the site's content, which mimics Netflix UX but doesn't have videos. One "show" title is "Saving your Day and Our Bullets," and the description is this:
These police officers are trained to save your day – and their bullets! This film is entirely devoid of any action or excitement.
The Finnish police use their guns very rarely. Finns trust that the police are fair and treat people well. According to a recent survey, 91% of Finns trust the police a lot or a fair amount.
The Most Boring Cop Movie
The site's FAQ explains the Happy Taxpayer initiative.
The idea for the website was sparked by the results of a survey that was commissioned by the Tax Administration. The survey showed that the 18 to 29 year olds who felt that they were adequately informed of the use of tax revenues and who felt that they benefited from taxes had a more positive attitude towards paying taxes.
The aim of the project is to cultivate a positive attitude towards paying taxes and to reduce the shadow economy. The idea is to emphasise the building blocks of a fair and sustainable society: we are all working together to make this a good place to live and work in, for everyone.
Happy Taxpayer FAQ
The Finnish Tax Association has a surprisingly great social media presence featuring oddball Gen Z-style humor and a spokesperson called "Epic Tax Guy."
