Would you like to pay more tax for better health care?

A new survey from FAFO, a Norwegian research institute, reveals that most people are willing to pay more tax if they know it will be used to improve health care and care for the elderly. "It is clearly a myth that most people do not wish to pay more taxes" states Dagbladet, a leading Norwegian tabloid situated on the Left, quoting the news agent NTB.

There are two major flaws here. The first is the question: "Are you willing to pay more taxes if it will be used to improve health care?" No-one in their right mind having grown up in Western Europe would object to paying more taxes if they KNEW it would mean a better heath care system. The premise of the question is wrong, however. We do not pay taxes for an individual task to be done, taxes are not earmarked, we pay into the big pool. The second flaw of the question is the assumption that more money would fix health care. It is a bottom-less hole where pouring more money does no good. We've increased spending on heath care for decades and it is no better than before. It is not more money, but better organisation and more freedom for doctors and nurses to do their job that will fix the problem.