Why Is Denmark's Social Welfare Better Than America?

The one of the most powerful countries in the world is America, which is the country known as a “free country”; however, its citizens’ happiness rate is lower than Denmark’s. According to Bill Weir and Sylvia Johnson (2007), on the ranking of the happiest countries, America placed number twenty-three and Denmark placed number one (para.3). The main reason Denmark placed higher than America is that its social welfare is well developed than America’s. Denmark’s social welfare programs are better than America’s social welfare programs, because people can receive medical care for free or low cost, college education for free, and taxation is actually helping its poor citizens. Even though people argue America also have medical programs, the Danish

Denmark has the highest personal income tax among the 34 countries in an organization of developed and emerging countries (Sahadi, 2013). In fact, 60.2% was Denmark’s last year’s personal income tax rate (Sahadi, 2013). On the other hand, California has the highest combined federal and state income tax rate in America, but lower than Demark’s, which is 47.6% this year (Sahadi, 2013). The highest personal income tax rate in America is about 12.6% less than the personal income tax rate in Denmark. However, in Denmark, people do not have to worry about paying medical fee and college tuition, the most important costly payments in life, because their government will pay them by collected taxes. In Denmark, the personal income tax rate is very high, but it will ensure that citizens will receive enough supports on necessities. On the other hand, in America, the personal income tax rate is low, but the government will not give enough support in receiving medical care and paying college tuitions. Therefore, poor people cannot attend a doctor or a college. The Danish government also provides other necessities. One of the examples in Denmark is free milk for women during their pregnancy to make sure they are receiving enough nutrition (“Denmark Takes Care,” 1948). Some might argue that the high taxation is preventing people to become a rich; therefore, social welfare programs that are causing a high taxation is not good. However, their statement is not true, because when there are rich people, there are always poor people, which means there are always people who are suffering under the government like America where there is no high taxation with not enough government support on necessities to live. In Denmark, most people are in middle class. Therefore, in