>>4
It's also a mostly homgenous region, in which the countries are made up of mostly people of the same ethnicity and background. People don't have as much of a problem being taxed when the money is going to people like themselves (AKA, finland). But when it goes to huge groups of other people who for whatever reason are poorer and less inclined to join with the richer society, you have problems. People don't want higher taxes because they think it goes to "worthless niggers" or "wetbacks".