Wednesday’s papers: Tax breaks for the well-off, the business of … – YLE News

A trade union for those with business degrees wants the next government to abolish the country's 'solidarity tax.'

17.5 9:19Updated 17.5 10:11

As efforts to form Finland's next government continue, Suomen Ekonomit, a trade union for people with business degrees, says it wants to abolish Finland's solidarity tax.

The taxa two-percentage-point additional increase in the tax rate for the highest income bracketwas supposed to end in 2015, reports Kauppalehti (siirryt toiseen palveluun), citing a statement from Suomen Ekonomit.

"This year, the two-percentage-point additional tax is paid on income exceeding 85,800 euros, whereas ten years ago, the threshold was 100,000 euros," the group said.

The majority of parliamentarians recently voted into the Finnish legislature have meanwhile reported being more inclined to cut public services than increase borrowing to fund them.

Nato is a billion-euro opportunity for Finland, reports Helsingin Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun), suggesting that Finland's accession into the alliance is opening up new opportunities for Finnish early-stage startups.

In addition to acquiring funding, Finnish companies now have the possibility of selling defence technology to the armies of other Nato members.

Nato is establishing a new billion-euro innovation fund for startups developing transformative technologies. HS reports that Finland is directly involved in the fund with a 35 million investment from Finnish Industry Investment (Tesi), the state's venture capital firm.

Space is one of the nine areas recognised by Nato for maintaining its technological competitiveness. Others include artificial intelligence, quantum technology as well as biotechnology and hypersonic technologies.

Can you make chocolate without cocoa beans? Finnish confectionery and food giant Fazer thinks so, creating a treat based on rye and blueberries that aims to be both vegan and locally sourced.

Hufvudstadsbladet (siirryt toiseen palveluun) reports that for the past two years, the company has been experimenting with the future of candy production. One result is a cake that looks like chocolate but doesn't contain any cocoa or milk. Instead, the grain-based cake is made from rye and sugar.

Climate change is driving Fazer to explore alternatives to traditional chocolate as the company anticipates cocoa farming areas shrinking in the future, Heli Anttila, a product development chief at the company, told the Swedish-language daily.

The verdict was mixed at Fazer's flagship Kluuvi caf in Helsinki on Tuesday.

"The malt flavour comes through. It's like eating a candy version of archipelago bread."

But it did appeal to some, "Yum, I could eat the whole bar in one sitting," exclaimed another taster.

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Wednesday's papers: Tax breaks for the well-off, the business of ... - YLE News