Refugee crisis: Finnish government proposes tax increase for the wealthy

The Finnish government on Thursday proposed an increase in capital gains tax for people with the highest incomes and salaries in order to cover the costs of accommodating refugees, whose influx this year could increase tenfold, the country's finance ministry reported, as carried by the Patria news agency.

Finance Minister Alexander Stubb said that the capital gains tax should be increased by 1 percent, and the threshold for the so-called "solidarity tax" based on annual income should be lowered from 90,000 to 72,300 euros. 

"This will help cover higher immigration costs, which we estimate will amount to 114 million euros this year," the minister said. 

Last week, Finland estimated that 30,000 people intend to seek asylum within its borders, while last year 3,600 asylum applications were submitted, Index reports.