Taxing Questions

First broadcast November 2007

The final part of a four part series in which Maurice Walsh discovers why globalisation and the black market have drastically undermined governments' ability to generate revenue in the form of tax.

Part 4: Paying up: Virtual Worlds and Sweden

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Maurice Walsh asks whether tax is essential? He visits Second Life the best known of a series of virtual worlds where you can create a new life for yourself in cyberspace.

Second Life has it's own economy which is real. 'Inhabitants' of Second Life pay for goods and services with Linden dollars, but can tax authorities operate in virtual worlds?

Some countries, the USA for example, back low taxation but Maurice Walsh visits Sweden where people pay high taxes. He finds out that most Swedes are prepared to pay these high taxes in order to get good social services.

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