By Patrick Kingsley

Denmark has no minimum wage

But each union negotiates a good rate with each employer, which means that most unskilled workers end up earning at least £15 an hour. Danish lawyers earn only two to three times as much as cleaners.

Teens can drink beer at 16

Though they must wait until 18 to buy spirits or cigarettes. Pupils who have turned 18 essentially get paid to go to school, receiving £136 a month for living expenses.

It's a good place to be a mother

Once your baby turns six months old, the state covers at least 75 per cent of the cost of its childcare. This allows 77 per cent of Danish mothers to work. Maternity leave lasts for a year and can be split with the father.

It is a good place to be old

Over-65s receive a basic state pension worth twice the British version.

Education costs less for the student

University is free, while the government underwrites about 70 to 80 per cent of private school fees. All university students are entitled to generous subsistence grants, regardless of parental income: £305 a month if they live at home, £614 if they live away.

The state employs 750,000 Danes

That's nearly a fifth of the workforce. To pay for it, taxes are high -- up to 64 per cent even for some on modest incomes. There is a 180 per cent car tax. VAT is 25 per cent.

Two million Danes are on benefit

That is 37 per cent of the population above 15. Depending on the situation, the jobless might receive up to 90 per cent of their previous income.

Wind power pays

Wind provides around a fifth of Danish energy. The government intends to increase this to 50 per cent by 2050.

 

© Tribune Media Services

 

 

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