The guy with the snack van idea...

[Pursuivant]

When you ask why not we say because
http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2011041 ... 5_uu.shtml

[Rick1]

He should go to the same office where the beggers get their licenses and then he should pay his taxes at the same tax office where they pay their taxes.

[AldenG]

So it's still the case now as in Kekkonen's years and the Koivisto jatkokausi, that in the neighbor to the east everything is forbidden, in Finland everything is forbidden unless explicitly allowed, in the neighbor to the west everything is allowed unless explicitly forbidden, and across the Atlantic, everything is allowed.

But I think another changing of the guard is visible on the horizon. It's still true that many (maybe a majority of) Finns who move abroad never return to stay, but there are new generations approaching the age at which they will take the reins of power -- generations in which many more have lived and traveled easily abroad. They're going to expect and demand a freedom of enterprise and initiative commensurate with the rest of the EU. The days when everything was decided by a bunch of old men in saunas are already past, and the middle set of generations is also beginning to age out of power now.

[silk]

I wonder if he would have more luck in some other cities in Finland than he did with the sticks in the mud at the Helsinki City Planning Department. But the business may not be viable in smaller cities. The fact that he had the backing by the city health officials would be a big plus from the customer's point of view... that and whether he serves good tasting coffee of course. But he already talked about taking his business abroad.

[Rosamunda]

...but there are new generations approaching the age at which they will take the reins of power -- generations in which many more have lived and traveled easily abroad. They're going to expect and demand a freedom of enterprise and initiative commensurate with the rest of the EU.

I think Finland's last government must have been one of the youngest in Europe, if not the world. Kiveniemi, Katainen, Stubb, Lehtomäki, Sinnemäki, Virkkunen et al... are hardly old farts. I'm not going to look them all up one by one but I know for a fact that many of Finland's ministers are (were) only in their 30s. Film at 11.

Anyway, not sure I follow the logic...

As for freedom of enterprise and initiative being commensurate with the rest of the EU... Starting up a company in France (for example) is bureaucratic beyond belief. The taxation system in the UK is a joke it is so antiquated and complex. Can you imagine running a business in a country where everyone is in debt and people still use cheques to pay for their shopping! Finland repeatedly comes tops in the competitiveness and innovation stakes. It is extremely easy to set up a small business in Finland. The bureaucracy is minimal and dealing with the administration is relatively easy. Thousands of Finns ave their own little businesses (toiminimi). And while the country may not be as squeaky-clean as the polls would have us believe, Finnish culture is based on honesty and trust which is "nice" when running a business. I have never, ever had to chase up an invoice (my payment terms are 8 days). IMHO the only thing stopping the Finns from being more entrepreneurial is their own aversion to risk-taking and maybe their indifference towards financial reward. Making money for the sake of making money is not a Finnish thing. But I do agree that that might change, not much evidence of it yet though.

I don't know the specifics of this case (but it sounds like the Irish guy with the Fish and Chip van from Sipoo, I know he also had problems getting a licence for the town centre). It's a local government issue. Same thing can happen in any town... there are similar issues with building permits (who gets them and who does not) all over the country.

[Rick1]

[quote="penelope"][. Making money for the sake of making money is not a Finnish thing. But I do agree that that might change, not much evidence of it yet though.

Many things you said were true but this one is nonsens. You cannot keep a company here out of a hobby or become rich without taking the money out of your company. In the nineties internet boom etc. many people did just that and still do it if you look at the latest tax papers. And starting your own company is still risky because everything is here more expensive than around us so your running costs are higher then in other EU-countries. For example those companies that provide short 'shark' loans are not doing it because they feel so sorry for the drunk in the bar that he cannot pay his/her bill, they are in it to catch over 100 percent or more interest from their customers.

[Upphew]

Making money to get bread and butter is not making money for the sake of making money.

[Rosamunda]

[. Making money for the sake of making money is not a Finnish thing. But I do agree that that might change, not much evidence of it yet though.

Many things you said were true but this one is nonsens. You cannot keep a company here out of a hobby or become rich without taking the money out of your company. In the nineties internet boom etc. many people did just that and still do it if you look at the latest tax papers. And starting your own company is still risky because everything is here more expensive than around us so your running costs are higher then in other EU-countries. For example those companies that provide short 'shark' loans are not doing it because they feel so sorry for the drunk in the bar that he cannot pay his/her bill, they are in it to catch over 100 percent or more interest from their customers.

What I meant was that many Finnish entrepreneurs sell up as soon as they have got a company successfully up and running. Not many are interested in taking a company beyond the comfortable confines of Finnish borders. Many many Finnish innovators and entrepreneurs have sold out to foreign investors and taken early retirement. Who needs gazillion, or even billions to live the good life? It seems to me (no expert) that Finnish engineers (ie the innovators) are not really interested in all the sales and marketing and the blabla (à la Steve Jobs) that comes with making a successful company into a global billion-dollar one.

And running costs are not higher here than in many other EU countries. Rents, salaries, energy... no more expensive here than in many other EU countries.

[Rick1]

Ok if you think that far. There are very few companies, entrepeneurs who make it that big especially because this is a small country, market on its own. If you compare with those strange French or the UK costs might be the same but e.g. Germany has lower costs.

[AldenG]

If the Senate is youthful, that raises another question: which is more influential, the people who make the laws or the people who administer them?

Are the regulatory agencies that apply the laws equally youthful?

[Rick1]

If the Senate is youthful, that raises another question: which is more influential, the people who make the laws or the people who administer them?

Are the regulatory agencies that apply the laws equally youthful?

I was thinking the same, it is more often that the power lies behind the Senate (as we can see in many series:-)). I am anyhow surprised how quick they can push laws here through parlament. Television license in tax was too difficult but sending a couple of billions to Greece etc. is done in an evening.

[ajdias]

It seems he got his way.
Very smart PR work by this guy.

[JimmyBang]

Im glad he got it. In America, well, California at least, theres a "taco truck" on every third corner...probably too many, but then theres not a problem with them either. What they should do is worry about all these "grillis" around that are'nt open till 11 at night and all day they just sit there looking graffitti'd and dirty.