Only energy prices discourage more investment, with 49 per cent of respondents referring to them.
Almost half of the respondents also estimate that the activities of trade unions and high labor costs prevent them from investing in Finland. Mikael PentikรคinenThe CEO of Finnish Entrepreneurs was particularly disappointed with the influence of trade unions on the willingness to invest.
โTrade unions should be the driving force, not the barrier to investment. The advantage of Finnish employees in particular is that the investments are made in Finland, he says stressed. “In the turmoil of the world, we need to get our business right, because we cannot influence Russia’s actions.”
One-third of respondents felt that the domestic political situation and NATO membership discouraged their willingness to invest. Concerns about the public debt burden also became a barrier to investment, especially among manufacturers.
In contrast, the reliability of the authorities, the functionality of logistics and the functioning of the capital markets were identified as incentives for investment in Finland.
According to Pentikรคinen, such strengths give the country a competitive advantage from the point of view of investment. โThereโs even more reason to raise them,โ he stressed.
The Finnish tax system seems to have a double effect on the willingness to invest, as the level of taxation is mentioned as a deterrent and the predictability of taxation as an incentive to make investments.
Kantar TNS interviewed the leaders of 1,033 stakeholder SMEs from 1 to 11 April.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page