EGO SMALL BUSINESS

I have been criticizing the tax situation in Sweden for a long time, and I have pointed out how we should simplify the system and strive for a free market economy here in the northern Europe. In an article on investment taxes in the Economist, you get the notion that the Swedish enterprises are pretty well off, compared with businesses in other countries.

Sweden, a bastion of egalitarianism where the state claims around 60% of GDP, is surprisingly friendly to capitalists. (Economist.com, 09/22/05.)

The article cites a study on the "effective" tax rate on capital made by a Canadian think-tank called C.D. Howe Institute. Here is the PDF version of The 2005 Tax Competitiveness Report: Unleashing the Canadian Tiger. Sweden has a tax revenue of 50.8% of GDP and the United States has 25.4%. The corporate income tax rate is 39.2% in the U.S. and 28% in Sweden.

I am interested in continuing the discussion on The Small Business Climate in Different Countries. Could you fill me in on situation of Canada's booming west?

I have become a member of the Entrepreneurial Class. I sent the papers to the Swedish Companies Registration Office a week ago. I will call my one-man business (sole trader) for EGO International Business Coordinator. Here is a list of examples of business activities I will conduct:

• Glass products from Hungary to the Scandinavian motor vehicle aftermarket.
• Web site design by programmers in Hungary.
• Different kinds of consulting projects.
• Market activities for educational and other non-for profit organizations.
• Meeting points and social networks on the Internet (cyberspace) and in "RL" (meatspace).

I will participate in a business plan competition called Venture Cup, and I am thinking of attending the Entrepreneurship Day.

It is now October 1st, so you are more than welcome to send me suggestions and tips on the Book of the Month. It would be interesting to receive titles focusing on small business, entrepreneurship, and project management.