The Finnish tax system has laid the groundwork for an equal and guaranteed access to public services. There is an awareness of the connection between taxes and public services, where the legitimacy of tax paying is crucial in order to ensure tax collection. In Latin America and the Caribbean, civil society, parliament and the media can play a positive and active role in increasing legitimacy and boosting tax collection. Finland can assist in the bi-regional cooperation by sharing best practices. Domestically, the country is faced with challenges related to unpaid care work, geography, economic uncertainty and a negative population growth. The increasingly ageing population especially affects women negatively. In light of these challenges, the bi-regional cooperation and the collaboration through international channels such as OECD DESERVE is of utmost importance and mutually beneficial. Read paper
Anne Lammila is the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues and Gender Equality, Finland.
This paper was prepared for the EU-LAC Foundation’s Newsletter of September 2016 on the theme “Equitable access by women and men to public services”. This article gives the views of the author, and not necessarily the position of the EU-LAC Foundation or its members.