Average Swedish Family Can't Afford a House

The Swedish Local reports:

Average families where both parents are in blue-collar jobs on a collective wage agreement are no longer able to afford to buy a house in most parts of Sweden, according to a new report.

For the second year in a row the National Association of Homeowners has studied the living costs of families with children. This year's figures show that a couple whose income is based on average trade union salaries would not be able to buy a small house in 270 of Sweden's 290 districts.

If one of the parents ended up working only 75% of the time or became unemployed, they would not be able to afford a property anywhere in the country.

"We believe that blue-collar workers should be able to afford to live in their own house," said the vice-director of the association, Elisabeth Österman.

"Unfortunately the research shows that it's hard. The main problem is the property tax, which needs a fundamental rethink."

The compassion of the welfare state is pretty amazing.