Prime Minister Alexander Stubb says Finland is a good place to invest. Political journalists conducting the monthly Prime Minister’s interview hour asked him about Finnish competitiveness after a Helsingin Sanomat feature on Finnish tax exile Björn Wahlroos.
Millionaire banker Wahlroos has long been critical of Finnish taxation, and in Sunday’s newspaper he said that Finland is an unattractive place to invest. Stubb firmly rejected that argument.
“Look at investments that have been made in Finland recently or that are coming soon,” said Stubb. “Metsä Group and Äänekoski pulp mills or Microsoft’s investments, data centres and some shipyard investments. I believe that slowly but surely investments are starting to flow into Finland.”
Stubb skirted around Wahlroos’s suggestions on tax, which included a higher property tax and a lower corporation tax rate. Wahlroos, who is chairman of the board of Sampo, Nordea and UPM, moved to Sweden late last year.
No cabinet split over Ukraine
During the interview Stubb again denied that there are splits in the government over EU sanctions on Russia.
Last week Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja had left a dissenting note in the minutes of a meeting, arguing that Finland could oppose new sanctions even if no other country did.
Stubb however said that co-operation within the government remains good. The premier said he understood Tuomioja's motivation as a historian and a researcher.
Stubb also offered a pessimistic view of the situation in Ukraine, saying that the continued clashes mean the ceasefire has not been observed.
He said he was also concerned about the presence of Russian humanitarian aid convoys in Luhansk without the knowledge or permission of the Ukrainian government. Stubb estimates that there are around 1,000 Russian soldiers still on Ukrainian territory.