Doing Business 2019 Finland Economy Profile Finland Page 1 Doing Business 2019 Finland Economy Profile of Finland Doing Business 2019 Indicators (in order of appearance in the document) Starting a business Procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital to start a limited liability company Dealing with construction permits Procedures, time and cost to complete all formalities to build a warehouse and the quality control and safety mechanisms in the construction permitting system Getting electricity Procedures, time and cost to get connected to the electrical grid, and the reliability of the electricity supply and the transparency of tariffs Registering property Procedures, time and cost to transfer a property and the quality of the land administration system Getting credit Movable collateral laws and credit information systems Protecting minority investors Minority shareholders’ rights in related-party transactions and in corporate governance Paying taxes Payments, time, total tax and contribution rate for a firm to comply with all tax regulations as well as post-filing processes Trading across borders Time and cost to export the product of comparative advantage and import auto parts Enforcing contracts Time and cost to resolve a commercial dispute and the quality of judicial processes Resolving insolvency Time, cost, outcome and recovery rate for a commercial insolvency and the strength of the legal framework for insolvency Labor market regulation Flexibility in employment regulation and aspects of job quality Page 2 Doing Business 2019 Finland About Doing Business The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. The Doing Business project, launched in 2002, looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle. Doing Business captures several important dimensions of the regulatory environment as it applies to local firms. It provides quantitative indicators on regulation for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. Doing Business also measures features of labor market regulation. Although Doing Business does not present rankings of economies on the labor market regulation indicators or include the topic in the aggregate ease of doing business score or ranking on the ease of doing business, it does present the data for these indicators. By gathering and analyzing comprehensive quantitative data to compare business regulation environments across economies and over time, Doing Business encourages economies to compete towards more efficient regulation; offers measurable benchmarks for reform; and serves as a resource for academics, journalists, private sector researchers and others interested in the business climate of each economy. In addition, Doing Business offers detailed subnational reports, which exhaustively cover business regulation and reform in different cities and regions within a nation. These reports provide data on the ease of doing business, rank each location, and recommend reforms to improve performance in each of the indicator areas. Selected cities can compare their business regulations with other cities in the economy or region and with the 190 economies that Doing Business has ranked. The first Doing Business report, published in 2003, covered 5 indicator sets and 133 economies. This year’s report covers 11 indicator sets and 190 economies. Most indicator sets refer to a case scenario in the largest business city of each economy, except for 11 economies that have a population of more than 100 million as of 2013 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the United States) where Doing Business also collected data for the second largest business city. The data for these 11 economies are a population-weighted average for the 2 largest business cities. The project has benefited from feedback from governments, academics, practitioners and reviewers. The initial goal remains: to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving the regulatory environment for business around the world. More about Doing Business (PDF, 5MB) Page 3 Doing Business 2019 Finland Ease of Doing Business in DB 2019 Rank Region OECD high income 190 1 Finland Income Category High income 17 DB 2019 Ease of doing business score Population 5,511,303 0 100 City Covered Helsinki 80.35 DB 2019 Ease of Doing Business Score 0 100 84.64: Denmark (Rank: 3) 80.35: Finland (Rank: 17) 79.35: Iceland (Rank: 21) 78.90: Germany (Rank: 24) 77.80: Regional Average (OECD high income) 77.29: France (Rank: 32) Note: The ease of doing business score captures the gap of each economy from the best regulatory performance observed on each of the indicators across all economies in the Doing Business sample since 2005. An economy’s ease of doing business score is reflected on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest and 100 represents the best performance. The ease of doing business ranking ranges from 1 to 190. Rankings on Doing Business topics - Finland 2 1 11 25 28 28 34 34 43 46 55 60 72 82 Rank 109 136 163 190 Starting Dealing Getting Registering Getting Protecting Paying Trading Enforcing Resolving a with Electricity Property Credit Minority Taxes across Contracts Insolvency Business Construction Investors Borders Permits Ease of Doing Business Score on Doing Business topics - Finland 100 92.43 90.64 92.44 92.81 88.98 80.73 80 75.79 65.00 66.40 58.33 Score 60 40 20 0 Starting Dealing Getting Registering Getting Protecting Paying Trading Enforcing Resolving a with Electricity Property Credit Minority Taxes across Contracts Insolvency Business Construction Investors Borders Permits Page 4 Doing Business 2019 Finland Starting a Business This topic measures the number of procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital requirement for a small- to medium-sized limited liability company to start up and formally operate in each economy’s largest business city. To make the data comparable across 190 economies, Doing Business uses a standardized business that is 100% domestically owned, has start-up capital equivalent to 10 times the income per capita, engages in general industrial or commercial activities and employs between 10 and 50 people one month after the commencement of operations, all of whom are domestic nationals. Starting a Business considers two types of local limited liability companies that are identical in all aspects, except that one company is owned by 5 married women and the other by 5 married men. The ranking of economies on the ease of starting a business is determined by sorting their scores for starting a business. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Procedures to legally start and formally operate To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the a company (number) business and the procedures are used. It is assumed that any required information is readily available and that the entrepreneur will pay no bribes. • Preregistration (for example, name verification or reservation, notarization) The business: • Registration in the economy’s largest business - Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent). If there is more than one type city of limited liability company in the economy, the most common among domestic firms • Postregistration (for example, social security is chosen. Information on the most common form is obtained from incorporation registration, company seal) lawyers or the statistical office. - Operates in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data are • Obtaining approval from spouse to start a business or to leave the home to register the also collected for the second largest business city. company - The entire office space is approximately 929 square meters (10,000 square feet). - Is 100% domestically owned and has five owners, none of whom is a legal entity; • Obtaining any gender specific document for has a start-up capital of 10 times income per capita and has a turnover of at least company registration and operation or national 100 times income per capita. identification card - Performs general industrial or commercial activities, such as the production or sale of goods or services to the public. The business does not perform foreign trade Time required to complete each procedure activities and does not handle products subject to a special tax regime, for example, (calendar days) liquor or tobacco. It does not use heavily polluting production processes. • Does not include time spent gathering - Leases the commercial plant or offices and is not a proprietor of real estate and the information amount of the annual lease for the office space is equivalent to the income per capita. • Each procedure starts on a separate day (2 procedures cannot start on the same day) - Does not qualify for investment incentives or any special benefits. - Has at least 10 and up to 50 employees one month after the commencement of • Procedures fully completed online are recorded operations, all of whom are domestic nationals. as ½ day - Has a company deed that is 10 pages long. • Procedure is considered completed once final document is received The owners: • No prior contact with officials - Have reached the legal age of majority. If there is no legal age of majority, they are assumed to be 30 years old. Cost required to complete each procedure (% of - Are sane, competent, in good health and have no criminal record. income per capita) - Are married and the marriage is monogamous and registered with the authorities. - Where the answer differs according to the legal system applicable to the woman or • Official costs only, no bribes man in question (as may be the case in economies where there is legal plurality), the • No professional fees unless services required by answer used will be the one that applies to the majority of the population. law or commonly used in practice Paid-in minimum capital (% of income per capita) • Funds deposited in a bank or with third party before registration or up to 3 months after incorporation Page 5 Doing Business 2019 Finland Starting a Business - Finland Standardized Company Legal form Private Limited Company (Oy) Paid-in minimum capital requirement EUR 2,500 City Covered Helsinki Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Procedure – Men (number) 3 4.9 1 (New Zealand) Time – Men (days) 17 9.3 0.5 (New Zealand) Cost – Men (% of income per capita) 0.8 3.1 0.0 (Slovenia) Procedure – Women (number) 3 4.9 1 (New Zealand) Time – Women (days) 17 9.3 0.5 (New Zealand) Cost – Women (% of income per capita) 0.8 3.1 0.0 (Slovenia) Paid-in min. capital (% of income per capita) 6.1 8.6 0.0 (117 Economies) Figure – Starting a Business in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Starting a Business Score 0 100 93.27: France (Rank: 30) 92.52: Denmark (Rank: 42) 92.43: Finland (Rank: 43) 91.19: Regional Average (OECD high income) 90.72: Iceland (Rank: 59) 83.58: Germany (Rank: 114) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of starting a business is determined by sorting their scores for starting a business. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators. Page 6 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Starting a Business in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita) 0.9 16 0.8 Cost (% of income per capita) 14 0.7 12 0.6 Time (days) 10 0.5 8 0.4 6 0.3 4 0.2 2 0.1 0 0 1 2 *3 Procedures (number) * This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure. Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website (http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below. Page 7 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Starting a Business in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs 1 Deposit the paid-in share capital in a bank; pay the registration fee and get 1 day no charge a receipt Agency : Bank According to the Companies Act, the paid-in share capital must be paid in full into the company's bank account. To open a bank account, the company must provide at least a copy of memorandum of association. Normally also following materials need to be provided to the bank when opening an account: - The minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors including a resolution of opening an account and identifying persons authorized to use the bank account to be opened, - A brief description of the nature of company's future banking transactions, - A description of the company's field of business, - Sufficient information regarding the shareholders and the directors of the company, - Copies of the passports regarding the persons authorized to use the bank account The subscription price may be paid to a bank account outside of Finland. However, the bank account should correspond to a bank account of a Finnish depository bank or a branch of a foreign credit institute in Finland. The receipt of the bank regarding the payment of the share capital is sufficient in order to register the company. However, if an auditor is elected in accordance with applicable law, the auditor shall provide a statement confirming the payment of the share capital. 2 Submit a single start-up notification form to the National Board of Patents 16 days (1 day for EUR 380 (start-up and Registration (PRH) and the Tax Administration as well as VAT company notification in paper registration. registration and 15 form) and EUR 330 Agency : NBPR and the Tax Administration days for tax (online start-up A basic declaration to the Trade Register must be filed (in either Finnish or Swedish) as requirements) notification of a the National Board of Patents and Registration specifies. For each type of business limited liability association, a separate basic declaration form must be used. The forms are available on company) the National Board of Patents and Registration, regional tax offices, local tax offices, Centers for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment ("ELY" Centers), local register offices, and Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise Agencies. All registrations to the Trade Register and to the Tax Administration are performed with the same basic declaration. Moreover, since December 2012, it has been possible to file a start-up notification online for EUR 330. In order to be able to use the online system, it is necessary to obtain an ID with the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland. If the company has employees, the company must be entered into the Employer Register, according to Section 31 of the Preliminary Taxation Act, which happens at the same time as the registration to the administration. Registration to the Tax administration includes registration for the Value Added Tax. When the basic declaration is submitted, a certificate of the company's business identification number may be obtained at a fee of EUR 7. This certificate allows companies to use their bank accounts before registration has been completed. The online registration is possible only when the following conditions are met: - The standard Article of Association is sufficient. - The shares are paid in euros to the bank account of the company to be established. - The subscription price is entered in share capital entirely. - All subscribers of shares and the Members of the Board of Directors shall have a Finnish social security number and a personal code for online banking system or an identity card with chip (HST-card). This applies also to possible CEO and a possible auditor who is a natural person. - The possible procuration holders and those who are entitled to represent the company have a Finnish social security number. According to the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act (624/2006) chapter 2, section 8(1), the company shall be notified for registration within three months of the signing of the Memorandum of Association. If failing this, the incorporation of the company shall lapse. If the company shall carry on business, farming or any other income deriving activity, it shall be registered in the prepayment register. Page 8 Doing Business 2019 Finland 3 File at a private insurer for pension insurance, accident insurance, and 1 day (simultaneous no charge medical insurance of employees with previous Agency : Private Insurer procedure) Under the statutory pension insurance scheme, an employer must subscribe its employees for pension insurance with a pension provider handling earnings-related pensions. Supplemental pension insurance is optional. The employer also pays the pension institution statutory employee earnings-related contributions, such as: accident insurance, unemployment insurance, and group life assurance premium. A social security contribution is also payable to the Regional Tax Office. The employer must insure its employees against accidents and occupational diseases, according to Section 3 of the Occupational Accidents, Injuries and Diseases Act, which has been in force as of 1 January 2017. In addition, certain collective labor agreements require that employers provide their employees with group life insurance. No proof of insurance is needed to start operations. The accident insurance is paid to the insurance company and must be obtained before the work for the company starts. The group life insurance is also paid to the insurance company. The group life insurance is compulsory only if the applicable collective labor agreement requires the employer to take the group life insurance. Unemployment insurance is paid to The Unemployment Insurance Fund. Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure. Page 9 Doing Business 2019 Finland Dealing with Construction Permits This topic tracks the procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse—including obtaining necessary the licenses and permits, submitting all required notifications, requesting and receiving all necessary inspections and obtaining utility connections. In addition, the Dealing with Construction Permits indicator measures the building quality control index, evaluating the quality of building regulations, the strength of quality control and safety mechanisms, liability and insurance regimes, and professional certification requirements. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Procedures to legally build a warehouse To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the (number) construction company, the warehouse project and the utility connections are used. • Submitting all relevant documents and obtaining The construction company (BuildCo): all necessary clearances, licenses, permits and certificates - Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent) and operates in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second • Submitting all required notifications and receiving largest business city. all necessary inspections - Is 100% domestically and privately owned; has five owners, none of whom is a • Obtaining utility connections for water and legal entity. Has a licensed architect and a licensed engineer, both registered with sewerage the local association of architects or engineers. BuildCo is not assumed to have any other employees who are technical or licensed experts, such as geological or • Registering and selling the warehouse after its completion topographical experts. - Owns the land on which the warehouse will be built and will sell the warehouse Time required to complete each procedure upon its completion. (calendar days) The warehouse: • Does not include time spent gathering information - Will be used for general storage activities, such as storage of books or stationery. - Will have two stories, both above ground, with a total constructed area of • Each procedure starts on a separate day— approximately 1,300.6 square meters (14,000 square feet). Each floor will be 3 though procedures that can be fully completed meters (9 feet, 10 inches) high and will be located on a land plot of approximately online are an exception to this rule 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) that is 100% owned by BuildCo, and the • Procedure is considered completed once final warehouse is valued at 50 times income per capita. document is received - Will have complete architectural and technical plans prepared by a licensed architect. If preparation of the plans requires such steps as obtaining further • No prior contact with officials documentation or getting prior approvals from external agencies, these are counted Cost required to complete each procedure (% of as procedures. income per capita) - Will take 30 weeks to construct (excluding all delays due to administrative and regulatory requirements). • Official costs only, no bribes The water and sewerage connections: Building quality control index (0-15) - Will be 150 meters (492 feet) from the existing water source and sewer tap. If there • Quality of building regulations (0-2) is no water delivery infrastructure in the economy, a borehole will be dug. If there is • Quality control before construction (0-1) no sewerage infrastructure, a septic tank in the smallest size available will be installed or built. • Quality control during construction (0-3) - Will have an average water use of 662 liters (175 gallons) a day and an average • Quality control after construction (0-3) wastewater flow of 568 liters (150 gallons) a day. Will have a peak water use of 1,325 liters (350 gallons) a day and a peak wastewater flow of 1,136 liters (300 • Liability and insurance regimes (0-2) gallons) a day. • Professional certifications (0-4) - Will have a constant level of water demand and wastewater flow throughout the year; will be 1 inch in diameter for the water connection and 4 inches in diameter for the sewerage connection. Page 10 Doing Business 2019 Finland Dealing with Construction Permits - Finland Standardized Warehouse Estimated value of warehouse EUR 2,052,071.60 City Covered Helsinki Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Procedures (number) 17 12.7 None in 2017/18 Time (days) 65 153.1 None in 2017/18 Cost (% of warehouse value) 0.9 1.5 None in 2017/18 Building quality control index (0-15) 10.0 11.5 15.0 (3 Economies) Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Dealing with Construction Permits Score 0 100 86.94: Denmark (Rank: 4) 79.30: France (Rank: 19) 78.16: Germany (Rank: 24) 75.79: Finland (Rank: 34) 75.41: Regional Average (OECD high income) 71.64: Iceland (Rank: 71) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of dealing with construction permits is determined by sorting their scores for dealing with construction permits. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators. Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost Time (days) Cost (% of warehouse value) 0.5 60 Cost (% of warehouse value) 0.4 50 Time (days) 40 0.3 30 0.2 20 0.1 10 0 0 1 *2 *3 *4 *5 *6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Procedures (number) * This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure. Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website (http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below. Page 11 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality 15 14.0 11.0 11.5 Index score 10.0 9.5 10 8.0 5 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs 1 Obtain building permit maps and extract from the Real Estate Office 12 days EUR 235 Agency : Real Estate Office The Real Estate Office issues the building permits maps, which must be attached as originals to the application. The applicant cannot use a map that is older than 3 months. The fee also includes the extract from the Real Estate Register and the report of the build- site height. 2 Obtain official opinion on the connection of the wastewater drain and water 7 days no charge pipeline Agency : HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority, HSY Water The official opinion on the connection of the wastewater drain and the water pipeline must be attached to the building permit application if the building will be connected to the public water distribution system and to the public sewerage system. The opinion is issued by the municipal organization in charge of the water supply (in the greater Helsinki area, Helsinki Water). The cost is included in the connection charge. 3 Schedule start-up meeting 7 days no charge Agency : Building Supervision Authority BuildCo must set a date for a startup meeting with the building supervision authority and convene all necessary persons to the meeting. The meeting must be held before the beginning of construction (some excavation work can be done, but the foundation may not be laid before the meeting). At a minimum, the following persons should attend the meeting: the person starting the building project, the head designer, and the site manager. The meeting attendees must be agreed with the building supervision authority. 4 Obtain extract from the Trade Register 1 day EUR 27 Agency : Trade Register This procedure is usually required when the building permit applicant is a company (which is the case in the Doing Business case study). The extract from the Trade Register costs EUR 13.00 for the delivery and EUR 8.00 for invoicing. 5 Notify the neighbors of the building permit application 1 day no charge Agency : Owners and titleholders of surrounding properties According to Section 133 of the Land Use and Building Act, neighbours shall be notified when an application for a building permit is submitted, unless notification is clearly not necessary with regard to the neighbours' interest, due to the smallness or location of the project, or to the contents of the plan. 'Neighbour' refers to owners and other titleholders of adjacent or opposite properties. The fact that the application has been submitted shall at the same time be publicized on the building site by suitable means. When needed, a review shall be conducted on the building site in order to assess how the building fits in with the surroundings and the impact of construction, and in order to hear the neighbours. The applicant and the titleholders of the neighbouring properties shall be notified of the time and date of the review. 6 Obtain report on the height of the intended construction 0.5 days no charge Agency : Real Estate Office This report can be obtained any time online from http://kartta.hel.fi/ . The report is required to ensure that the height of the new building is in proportion with other buildings in the same neighborhood. The statutory zoning map/local detailed plan is the only document stating the allowed building height. Page 12 Doing Business 2019 Finland 7 Obtain building permit 38 days EUR 9,144 Agency : Municipal Building Inspection The building permit is issued by the Municipal Building Inspection. BuildCo must provide the necessary information to the local building supervision authority to decide on the building permit application. The quality and the extent of the required information depend on the project features. The following documentation is usually required for warehouse projects: • The completed application form issued by the building supervision authority. The owner or the holder of the building site must sign the form. If there are several owners or holders, all must sign the application form. • A power of attorney is required only if a representative files the building permit application (This is not applicable to the warehouse project considered here.) • The establishment of the ownership title is required because the building permit can be granted only based on the application made by the owner or the holder of the building site. Usually one of the following documents is presented to the building supervision authority: 1. The deed of sale of the real estate 2. The lease contract 3. The deed of title 4. The extract from the trade register 5. The building permit map and the extract from the real estate registry 6. The decision to deviate from the provisions, regulations, prohibitions, and other restrictions on building and other action must be attached to the application, in original, if the project requires such a decision 7. The certificate of the decision’s legal validity must be presented before the actual launching of the building project (This is not applicable to the warehouse project.) 8. The environmental permit is required if the use of the building poses a threat of environmental pollution. The decision on the building permit can be postponed until the environmental permit is attached to the application (This is not applicable to the warehouse project.) 9. Three master drawings must be attached to the application. One document will be archived with the building supervision authority, and the other will be returned to the applicant with the final decision. The master drawings to be followed in construction master drawings are approved in connection with the grant of the building permit. 10. Report of the height of the building site 11. The ground investigation report of the building site. If needed, also enclosed with the building permit application will be an account of the site’s health effects and ground levels, and the type of foundation and any other measures required as a result. This report may be produced by BuildCo. 12. The official opinion on the connection of the wastewater drain and the water pipeline 13. Notification to the neighbors. When the building permit application is filed with the building supervision authority, the neighbors must also be notified. The applicant may do this personally by using the official form, obtained from the building supervision authority. Otherwise, subject to a fee, the applicant may request the building supervision authority to conduct the notification. 14. Forms for official statistics. The building supervision authority must deliver information on building projects to the Population Register Center. Thus, the forms in question must be attached to the application. These forms are available at the building supervision authority or at the public printing center. 15. The official form on the building designer. Every building project must have a qualified head designer in charge of the construction design and the quality of the design as a whole. Other documents are required, as follows: 1. Working designs 2. Calculation of permitted building volume 3. Report on fire load, parking spaces, handling construction waste; on environmental issues, with photographs (can be produced by BuildCo) 4. Constructional drawings and strength calculations and drawings on ventilation and heating devices, on water and sewage devices, and on bomb shelters and the notification of the bomb shelter 8 Receive foundation work inspection 1 day no charge Agency : Municipality 9 Receive location inspection from the Real Estate Office 1 day EUR 1,520 Agency : Real Estate Office The location inspection must be requested from the Real Estate Office after the foundation work is completed. This inspection is held to determine that the building height and location are in accordance with the master drawings. 10 Receive structure inspection 1 day no charge Agency : Municipality The inspection of the building structure is conducted after the load-bearing structure and connected insulation works are completed. Page 13 Doing Business 2019 Finland 11 Receive ventilation inspection 1 day no charge Agency : Municipality The ventilation inspection is conducted after the completion of the exit flue and the ventilation installation. 12 Receive sewer and water pipeline inspection 1 day no charge Agency : HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority, HSY Water The inspection of the sewer and water pipeline fittings is conducted after the completion of these fittings. 13 Report information to the Finnish Tax Agency 1 day no charge Agency : Finnish Tax Agency The building supervisor (contractor) must provide information on employees at the construction site on a monthly basis since July 2014 to the Finnish Tax agency. In addition, tax rules require that the contractor informs the tax authority (agency) on monthly basis of construction services contracts (including contracting parties, total amount, and duration etc.). 14 Request and obtain water connection 3 days EUR 6,469 Agency : HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority is responsible for all matters of connections to the water distribution and sewerage systems. The procedure for ordering a connection is as follows: • Helsinki Water customer service staff provides the new customer with a statement on the connection. The street address of the plot or property is required, as is the owner’s name, address, and phone number. • Helsinki Water provides the customer with a preliminary estimate of the recently introduced connection charge. • The customer should acquire a building permit for the plot. • After the customer has obtained the building permit, Helsinki Water will send the customer the connection charge notice. The property owner can file a complaint within 14 days of receiving the notice. Unless a complaint is made, the proposed charge will be considered as having been accepted by the customer. • Water service connection and meter installation will be conducted after the connection charge is paid. The customer is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the connection pipes and conduits and their financing. Before the start of on-site construction work, a supervisor responsible for the construction of the water facility and sewerage system -- approved by the municipal building control officials -- should be assigned. Helsinki Water always takes care of installation of water meters with seals, water main connection with water-sealed joints, and connections to the sewerage system on the customer’s properties. Service charges will be invoiced at rates valid at the time of the order. • A connection agreement is concluded. • The invoicing procedure is settled. 15 Receive fire inspection from the Public Rescue Service 1 day EUR 200 Agency : Public Rescue Service 16 Receive final inspection 1 day no charge Agency : BuildCo A building, or a part thereof, shall not be commissioned before it has been finally inspected and approved for use. The minutes of the commissioning inspection of the electrical installation (drafted by the electricity contractor) are necessary for obtaining a use or occupancy permit. This inspection can be performed by BuildCo, provided that the company has qualified employees. 17 Obtain occupancy permit 4 days no charge Agency : Municipality Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure. Page 14 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Building quality control index (0-15) 10.0 Quality of building regulations index (0-2) 2.0 How accessible are building laws and regulations in your economy? (0-1) Available online; 1.0 Free of charge. Which requirements for obtaining a building permit are clearly specified in the building List of required 1.0 regulations or on any accessible website, brochure or pamphlet? (0-1) documents; Fees to be paid; Required preapprovals. Quality control before construction index (0-1) 1.0 Which third-party entities are required by law to verify that the building plans are in Licensed 1.0 compliance with existing building regulations? (0-1) architect; Licensed engineer. Quality control during construction index (0-3) 2.0 What types of inspections (if any) are required by law to be carried out during construction? Inspections at 1.0 (0-2) various phases. Do legally mandated inspections occur in practice during construction? (0-1) Mandatory 1.0 inspections are always done in practice. Quality control after construction index (0-3) 3.0 Is there a final inspection required by law to verify that the building was built in accordance Yes, final 2.0 with the approved plans and regulations? (0-2) inspection is done by government agency. Do legally mandated final inspections occur in practice? (0-1) Final inspection 1.0 always occurs in practice. Liability and insurance regimes index (0-2) 0.0 Which parties (if any) are held liable by law for structural flaws or problems in the building No party is held 0.0 once it is in use (Latent Defect Liability or Decennial Liability)? (0-1) liable under the law. Which parties (if any) are required by law to obtain an insurance policy to cover possible No party is 0.0 structural flaws or problems in the building once it is in use (Latent Defect Liability Insurance required by law or Decennial Insurance)? (0-1) to obtain insurance . Professional certifications index (0-4) 2.0 What are the qualification requirements for the professional responsible for verifying that the Minimum number 1.0 architectural plans or drawings are in compliance with existing building regulations? (0-2) of years of experience; University degree in architecture or engineering. What are the qualification requirements for the professional who supervises the construction Minimum number 1.0 on the ground? (0-2) of years of experience; University degree in engineering, construction or construction management. Page 15 Doing Business 2019 Finland Getting Electricity This topic measures the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed warehouse. Additionally, the reliability of supply and transparency of tariffs index measures reliability of supply, transparency of tariffs and the price of electricity. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Procedures to obtain an electricity connection To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the (number) warehouse, the electricity connection and the monthly consumption are used. • Submitting all relevant documents and obtaining The warehouse: all necessary clearances and permits - Is owned by a local entrepreneur and is used for storage of goods. • Completing all required notifications and - Is located in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data are receiving all necessary inspections also collected for the second largest business city. • Obtaining external installation works and possibly - Is located in an area where similar warehouses are typically located and is in an purchasing material for these works area with no physical constraints. For example, the property is not near a railway. - Is a new construction and is being connected to electricity for the first time. • Concluding any necessary supply contract and - Has two stories with a total surface area of approximately 1,300.6 square meters obtaining final supply (14,000 square feet). The plot of land on which it is built is 929 square meters Time required to complete each procedure (10,000 square feet). (calendar days) The electricity connection: • Is at least 1 calendar day - Is a permanent one with a three-phase, four-wire Y connection with a subscribed • Each procedure starts on a separate day capacity of 140-kilo-volt-ampere (kVA) with a power factor of 1, when 1 kVA = 1 • Does not include time spent gathering kilowatt (kW). information - Has a length of 150 meters. The connection is to either the low- or medium-voltage distribution network and is either overhead or underground, whichever is more • Reflects the time spent in practice, with little common in the area where the warehouse is located and requires works that involve follow-up and no prior contact with officials the crossing of a 10-meter road (such as by excavation or overhead lines) but are all Cost required to complete each procedure (% of carried out on public land. There is no crossing of other owners’ private property income per capita) because the warehouse has access to a road. - Does not require work to install the internal wiring of the warehouse. This has • Official costs only, no bribes already been completed up to and including the customer’s service panel or • Value added tax excluded switchboard and the meter base. The reliability of supply and transparency of The monthly consumption: tariffs index (0-8) - It is assumed that the warehouse operates 30 days a month from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 • Duration and frequency of power outages (0–3) p.m. (8 hours a day), with equipment utilized at 80% of capacity on average and that • Tools to monitor power outages (0–1) there are no electricity cuts (assumed for simplicity reasons) and the monthly energy consumption is 26,880 kilowatt-hours (kWh); hourly consumption is 112 kWh. • Tools to restore power supply (0–1) - If multiple electricity suppliers exist, the warehouse is served by the cheapest • Regulatory monitoring of utilities’ performance supplier. (0–1) - Tariffs effective in January of the current year are used for calculation of the price of electricity for the warehouse. Although January has 31 days, for calculation • Financial deterrents limiting outages (0–1) purposes only 30 days are used. • Transparency and accessibility of tariffs (0–1) Price of electricity (cents per kilowatt-hour)* • Price based on monthly bill for commercial warehouse in case study *Note: Doing Business measures the price of electricity, but it is not included in the ease of doing business score nor the ranking on the ease of getting electricity. Page 16 Doing Business 2019 Finland Getting Electricity - Finland Standardized Connection Price of electricity (US cents per kWh) 11.3 Name of utility Helen Electricity Network (Helen Sähköverkko Oy) City Covered Helsinki Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Procedures (number) 5 4.5 3 (25 Economies) Time (days) 42 77.2 18 (3 Economies) Cost (% of income per capita) 25.9 64.2 0.0 (3 Economies) Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff index (0-8) 8 7.5 8.0 (27 Economies) Figure – Getting Electricity in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Getting Electricity Score 0 100 98.79: Germany (Rank: 5) 92.24: Iceland (Rank: 13) 92.01: France (Rank: 14) 90.22: Denmark (Rank: 21) 88.98: Finland (Rank: 25) 85.47: Regional Average (OECD high income) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of getting electricity is determined by sorting their scores for getting electricity. These scores are the simple average of the scores for all the component indicators except the price of electricity. Page 17 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Getting Electricity in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita) 20 40 Cost (% of income per capita) 35 15 30 Time (days) 25 10 20 15 10 5 5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 Procedures (number) * This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure. Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website (http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below. Figure – Getting Electricity in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality 8 8 8 8 7.5 7 7 7 6 Index score 5 4 3 2 1 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 18 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Getting Electricity in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs 1 Submit application and certification from electrician to Helen Electricity 1 calendar day EUR 0 Network Agency : Helen Electricity Network The application for a new connection can be submitted through an online form (i.e. to obtain the contract for getting connected to the distribution grid) or in person at Helen’s customer service point. If submitted online, the customer can choose to provide the required documents either directly online, or send them via email/regular mail. The required documents include the blueprints of the buildings internal wiring, which have to be approved by the utility before the building is connected to the grid. 2 Purchase material and carry out external works 3 calendar days EUR 3,000 Agency : Helen Electricity Network The customer needs to purchase and install the connection cable from the building to the perimeter wall, since the utility does only the external connection works, and everything inside the boundary wall of the building is the customer’s responsibility. The meter is installed only after the connection cable is installed. 3 Submit electrician's statement on internal wiring and receive external 30 calendar days EUR 7,640 works from Helen Electricity Network Agency : Helen Electricity Network The customer's electrician submits a document where he states that all the wiring has been done according to the rules and regulations. The person in charge of the wiring has to be a certified electrician and have the licenses that are required to do inspections. The electrician does not have to be registered with the utility company and there is no verification whether they are certified or not. 4 Sign supply contract with retailer 1 calendar day EUR 0 Agency : Helen Electricity Network The customer has a choice of retailers for electricity supply. In the case of most retailers, the application is done online, and no paperwork needs to submit. 5 Request and receive meter installation and electricity flow 7 calendar days EUR 0 Agency : Helen Electricity Network The meter is installed when the customer’s electrician informs the utility that it can be installed (not at the same time as the connection). The installation is done by Empower Oy. The customer does not need to contact this company separately, it is taken care of by the utility. Electricity starts flowing once the meter is installed, and once Empower Oy has informed the utility that the meter has been installed. Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure. Page 19 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Getting Electricity in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff index (0-8) 8 Total duration and frequency of outages per customer a year (0-3) 3 System average interruption duration index (SAIDI) 0.6 System average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) 0.3 What is the minimum outage time (in minutes) that the utility considers for the calculation of SAIDI/SAIFI 3.0 Mechanisms for monitoring outages (0-1) 1 Does the distribution utility use automated tools to monitor outages? Yes Mechanisms for restoring service (0-1) 1 Does the distribution utility use automated tools to restore service? Yes Regulatory monitoring (0-1) 1 Does a regulator—that is, an entity separate from the utility—monitor the utility’s performance on reliability of Yes supply? Financial deterrents aimed at limiting outages (0-1) 1 Does the utility either pay compensation to customers or face fines by the regulator (or both) if outages Yes exceed a certain cap? Communication of tariffs and tariff changes (0-1) 1 Are effective tariffs available online? Yes Link to the website, if available online https://www.helen.fi/e n/households/service s/electricity-products- and-prices/general- price-lists/ Are customers notified of a change in tariff ahead of the billing cycle? Yes Note: If the duration and frequency of outages is 100 or less, the economy is eligible to score on the Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff index. If the duration and frequency of outages is not available, or is over 100, the economy is not eligible to score on the index. If the minimum outage time considered for SAIDI/SAIFI is over 5 minutes, the economy is not eligible to score on the index. Page 20 Doing Business 2019 Finland Registering Property This topic examines the steps, time and cost involved in registering property, assuming a standardized case of an entrepreneur who wants to purchase land and a building that is already registered and free of title dispute. In addition, the topic also measures the quality of the land administration system in each economy. The quality of land administration index has five dimensions: reliability of infrastructure, transparency of information, geographic coverage, land dispute resolution, and equal access to property rights. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Procedures to legally transfer title on To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the immovable property (number) parties to the transaction, the property and the procedures are used. • Preregistration procedures (for example, The parties (buyer and seller): checking for liens, notarizing sales agreement, paying property transfer taxes) - Are limited liability companies (or the legal equivalent). - Are located in the periurban area of the economy’s largest business city. For 11 • Registration procedures in the economy's largest economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city. business city. - Are 100% domestically and privately owned. • Postregistration procedures (for example, filling - Have 50 employees each, all of whom are nationals. title with municipality) - Perform general commercial activities. Time required to complete each procedure The property (fully owned by the seller): (calendar days) - Has a value of 50 times income per capita, which equals the sale price. • Does not include time spent gathering - Is fully owned by the seller. information - Has no mortgages attached and has been under the same ownership for the past • Each procedure starts on a separate day - 10 years. though procedures that can be fully completed - Is registered in the land registry or cadastre, or both, and is free of title disputes. online are an exception to this rule - Is located in a periurban commercial zone, and no rezoning is required. - Consists of land and a building. The land area is 557.4 square meters (6,000 • Procedure is considered completed once final square feet). A two-story warehouse of 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) is document is received located on the land. The warehouse is 10 years old, is in good condition, has no • No prior contact with officials heating system and complies with all safety standards, building codes and legal requirements. The property, consisting of land and building, will be transferred in its Cost required to complete each procedure (% of entirety. property value) - Will not be subject to renovations or additional construction following the purchase. • Official costs only (such as administrative fees, - Has no trees, natural water sources, natural reserves or historical monuments of duties and taxes). any kind. - Will not be used for special purposes, and no special permits, such as for • Value Added Tax, Capital Gains Tax and illicit residential use, industrial plants, waste storage or certain types of agricultural payments are excluded activities, are required. - Has no occupants, and no other party holds a legal interest in it. Quality of land administration index (0-30) • Reliability of infrastructure index (0-8) • Transparency of information index (0–6) • Geographic coverage index (0–8) • Land dispute resolution index (0–8) • Equal access to property rights index (-2–0) Page 21 Doing Business 2019 Finland Registering Property - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Procedures (number) 3 4.7 1 (4 Economies) Time (days) 47 20.1 1 (New Zealand) Cost (% of property value) 4.0 4.2 0.0 (Saudi Arabia) Quality of the land administration index (0-30) 26.5 23.0 None in 2017/18 Figure – Registering Property in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Registering Property Score 0 100 89.88: Denmark (Rank: 11) 86.61: Iceland (Rank: 15) 80.73: Finland (Rank: 28) 77.17: Regional Average (OECD high income) 65.70: Germany (Rank: 78) 63.33: France (Rank: 96) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of registering property is determined by sorting their scores for registering property. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators. Figure – Registering Property in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost Time (days) Cost (% of property value) 4.5 45 4 40 Cost (% of property value) 3.5 35 3 30 Time (days) 2.5 25 20 2 15 1.5 10 1 5 0.5 0 0 1 2 3 Procedures (number) * This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure. Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website (http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below. Page 22 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Registering Property in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality 30 26.5 26.5 24.5 24.0 25 23.0 22.0 Index score 20 15 10 5 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Details – Registering Property in Finland – Procedure, Time and Cost No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs 1 The seller and buyer notarize the deed of sale with an attesting notary or 1 day EUR 120; (120 (55 € prepare the agreement through E-Conveyancing when using the E- Agency : Attesting notary / purchasing witness or online through e-conveyance conveyance)) system The sale agreement can be prepared by the seller or the buyer, no involvement of a lawyer or real estate agent is required by law. In general the seller present an extract from the Land Registry and extracts from the Title and Mortgage Registries demonstrating ownership and any registered encumbrances, but these are not formally required. The agreement must be in writing and contain at a minimum the following information (according to the Code of Real Estate 540/1995, as amended): name of the seller and buyer, the object of purchase (including real estate number), the purchase price or equivalent compensation and possible subsequent conditions. The agreement must also contain the purpose of transfer. The sale agreement shall be signed both by the seller and buyer, in the presence of the attesting notary. The attesting notary checks the ID of the seller and buyer and verifies the formal validity of the sales agreement. Failure to follow these requirements will result in the transaction being automatically null and void. Note that an attesting notary is required only when ownership (freehold title) of the real estate is assigned. When the right of tenancy (leasehold) or other right to possess the property is assigned, the presence of the attesting notary is not required. The attesting notary must inform National Land Survey of Finland of the transaction and the buyer must apply for the registration of its title at their offices (see Procedure 3). In November 2013 National Land Survey Finland introduced the E-Conveyancing system. When seller and buyer use the new E-Conveyancing system, no notary is needed to conduct the transaction which can be done online. Both parties must have a strong authentication in order to log in the system. As of April 2018, most transactions are still conducted following the traditional process. 2 The buyer pays the transfer tax 1 day EUR 82,082.86; (4% Agency : Local Bank, Tax Authority or online banking of the property value) The transfer tax must be paid to the Finnish Tax Administration within six (6) months of the date of the transfer/purchase agreement. In practice, payment of transfer tax is a prerequisite for the registration of title and, accordingly, transfer tax will become immediately due and payable upon application for registration of title. As the application for registration of title is automatically filed upon completion of the transfer if the e- conveyancing system referred to under Procedure 1 is used, in such case transfer tax will also become immediately due and payable. In the event that the buyer fails to pay the requisite transfer tax within six (6) months of the date of the transfer/purchase agreement, the Finnish Tax Administration may impose a higher transfer tax (up to 8%) Page 23 Doing Business 2019 Finland 3 The buyer applies for title registration with National Land Survey of Finland 45 days EUR 119 Agency : National Land Survey of Finland The buyer shall register its title to the property in question with the Title and Mortgage Register within 6 months of the date of the purchase agreement. If the buyer fails to do so within 6 months, he will not lose its right to register its title (although the amount of transfer tax payable will increase, please see Procedure 2 above). Further, the transfer of property will not become opposable against third parties until the buyer's title thereto is registered. The application for registration of title may only be delivered: (i) by mail to Maanmittauslaitos / Kirjaamisasiat, PL 3300, 65101 Vaasa, Finland; (ii) by email to kirjaamisasiat@maanmittauslaitos.fi; or (iii) in person to any office of the National Land Survey of Finland. The National Land Survey of Finland reviews the preconditions for transfer of title and provided that they are met and the transfer tax has been paid (see Procedure 2 above), registers title to the property in question in the buyer's name. Provided that the parties are using the e-conveyancing system, the application for registration of title will automatically be filed simultaneously with the signing of the purchase agreement. The transfer of property will not become opposable against third parties until the buyer's title thereto is registered The application for registration of title shall include: (i) Evidence of payment of the purchase price if such payment is a precondition for transfer of ownership; (ii) Evidence of payment of transfer tax (as described under Procedure 2 above); (iii) minutes of the board meeting of each of the seller and buyer resolving on the respective sale and purchase of the property. The registration fee can be paid at a bank or online based on an invoice sent by the National Land Survey of Finland post registration. In the event that the property in question exceeds 5,000 m2 in size (or in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen or Vantaa, exceeds 3,000 m2 in size), under the Pre- Emption Act (608/1977, as amended), the municipality may have a pre-emption right in respect of the property. If the municipality decides to use its pre-emption right, it shall notify the buyer, seller and the National Land Survey of Finland of its decision to do so within three months of the original sale transaction. The owner of the property may, however, request that the municipality confirm in advance that the right of pre-emption will not be used. The buyer's title to the property may only be registered after the three- month deadline unless the municipality gives advance notice that it will not use the pre- emption right. Based on the case study assumptions, the pre-emption right will not be triggered by the transaction Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure. Page 24 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Registering Property in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Reliability of infrastructure index (0-8) 8.0 What is the institution in charge of immovable property registration? National Land Survey of Finland In what format are the majority of title or deed records kept in the largest business city—in a Computer/Fully 2.0 paper format or in a computerized format (scanned or fully digital)? digital Is there an electronic database for checking for encumbrances (liens, mortgages, restrictions Yes 1.0 and the like)? Institution in charge of the plans showing legal boundaries in the largest business city: National Land Survey of Finland In what format are the majority of maps of land plots kept in the largest business city—in a Computer/Fully 2.0 paper format or in a computerized format (scanned or fully digital)? digital Is there an electronic database for recording boundaries, checking plans and providing Yes 1.0 cadastral information (geographic information system)? Is the information recorded by the immovable property registration agency and the cadastral Single database 1.0 or mapping agency kept in a single database, in different but linked databases or in separate databases? Do the immovable property registration agency and cadastral or mapping agency use the Yes 1.0 same identification number for properties? Transparency of information index (0–6) 3.0 Who is able to obtain information on land ownership at the agency in charge of immovable Anyone who 1.0 property registration in the largest business city? pays the official fee Is the list of documents that are required to complete any type of property transaction made Yes, online 0.5 publicly available–and if so, how? Link for online access: https://www.maa nmittauslaitos.fi/e n/real- property/services /register-your- ownership- property https://www.maa nmittauslaitos.fi/e n/real- property/real- property-and- property- transactions/do- list-buyer- property Is the applicable fee schedule for any property transaction at the agency in charge of Yes, online 0.5 immovable property registration in the largest business city made publicly available–and if so, how? Link for online access: https://www.maa nmittauslaitos.fi/k iinteistot/palvelut/ rekisteroi- omistusoikeus Does the agency in charge of immovable property registration commit to delivering a legally No 0.0 binding document that proves property ownership within a specific time frame–and if so, how does it communicate the service standard? Link for online access: Is there a specific and separate mechanism for filing complaints about a problem that No 0.0 occurred at the agency in charge of immovable property registration? Contact information: Page 25 Doing Business 2019 Finland Are there publicly available official statistics tracking the number of transactions at the No 0.0 immovable property registration agency? Number of property transfers in the largest business city in 2017: Who is able to consult maps of land plots in the largest business city? Anyone who 0.5 pays the official fee Is the applicable fee schedule for accessing maps of land plots made publicly available— Yes, online 0.5 and if so, how? Link for online access: No fees for electronic maps publicly available from https://asiointi.ma anmittauslaitos.fi/ karttapaikka/. Fees for printed or PDF -maps available at www.maanmittau slaitos.fi/hinnasto . Zoning plans for Helsinki are freely available from http://kartta.hel.fi/ . Does the cadastral or mapping agency commit to delivering an updated map within a No 0.0 specific time frame—and if so, how does it communicate the service standard? Link for online access: Is there a specific and separate mechanism for filing complaints about a problem that No 0.0 occurred at the cadastral or mapping agency? Contact information: Geographic coverage index (0–8) 8.0 Are all privately held land plots in the economy formally registered at the immovable property Yes 2.0 registry? Are all privately held land plots in the largest business city formally registered at the Yes 2.0 immovable property registry? Are all privately held land plots in the economy mapped? Yes 2.0 Are all privately held land plots in the largest business city mapped? Yes 2.0 Land dispute resolution index (0–8) 7.5 Does the law require that all property sale transactions be registered at the immovable Yes 1.5 property registry to make them opposable to third parties? Is the system of immovable property registration subject to a state or private guarantee? Yes 0.5 Is there a specific compensation mechanism to cover for losses incurred by parties who Yes 0.5 engaged in good faith in a property transaction based on erroneous information certified by the immovable property registry? Does the legal system require a control of legality of the documents necessary for a property Yes 0.5 transaction (e.g., checking the compliance of contracts with requirements of the law)? If yes, who is responsible for checking the legality of the documents? Registrar; Notary; Does the legal system require verification of the identity of the parties to a property Yes 0.5 transaction? If yes, who is responsible for verifying the identity of the parties? Registrar; Notary; Is there a national database to verify the accuracy of identity documents? Yes 1.0 For a standard land dispute between two local businesses over tenure rights of a property District Court of worth 50 times gross national income (GNI) per capita and located in the largest business Helsinki city, what court would be in charge of the case in the first instance? Page 26 Doing Business 2019 Finland How long does it take on average to obtain a decision from the first-instance court for such a Less than a year 3.0 case (without appeal)? Are there any statistics on the number of land disputes in the first instance? No 0.0 Number of land disputes in the largest business city in 2017: Equal access to property rights index (-2–0) 0.0 Do unmarried men and unmarried women have equal ownership rights to property? Yes Do married men and married women have equal ownership rights to property? Yes 0.0 Page 27 Doing Business 2019 Finland Getting Credit This topic explores two sets of issues—the strength of credit reporting systems and the effectiveness of collateral and bankruptcy laws in facilitating lending. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Strength of legal rights index (0–12) Doing Business assesses the sharing of credit information and the legal rights of borrowers and lenders with respect to secured transactions through 2 sets of • Rights of borrowers and lenders through indicators. The depth of credit information index measures rules and practices collateral laws (0-10) affecting the coverage, scope and accessibility of credit information available • Protection of secured creditors’ rights through through a credit registry or a credit bureau. The strength of legal rights index bankruptcy laws (0-2) measures the degree to which collateral and bankruptcy laws protect the rights of borrowers and lenders and thus facilitate lending. For each economy it is first Depth of credit information index (0–8) determined whether a unitary secured transactions system exists. Then two case • Scope and accessibility of credit information scenarios, case A and case B, are used to determine how a nonpossessory security distributed by credit bureaus and credit registries interest is created, publicized and enforced according to the law. Special emphasis (0-8) is given to how the collateral registry operates (if registration of security interests is possible). The case scenarios involve a secured borrower, company ABC, and a Credit bureau coverage (% of adults) secured lender, BizBank. • Number of individuals and firms listed in largest In some economies the legal framework for secured transactions will allow only case credit bureau as a percentage of adult population A or case B (not both) to apply. Both cases examine the same set of legal provisions Credit registry coverage (% of adults) relating to the use of movable collateral. • Number of individuals and firms listed in credit Several assumptions about the secured borrower (ABC) and lender (BizBank) registry as a percentage of adult population are used: - ABC is a domestic limited liability company (or its legal equivalent). - ABC has up to 50 employees. - ABC has its headquarters and only base of operations in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city. - Both ABC and BizBank are 100% domestically owned. The case scenarios also involve assumptions. In case A, as collateral for the loan, ABC grants BizBank a nonpossessory security interest in one category of movable assets, for example, its machinery or its inventory. ABC wants to keep both possession and ownership of the collateral. In economies where the law does not allow nonpossessory security interests in movable property, ABC and BizBank use a fiduciary transfer-of-title arrangement (or a similar substitute for nonpossessory security interests). In case B, ABC grants BizBank a business charge, enterprise charge, floating charge or any charge that gives BizBank a security interest over ABC’s combined movable assets (or as much of ABC’s movable assets as possible). ABC keeps ownership and possession of the assets. Page 28 Doing Business 2019 Finland Getting Credit - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Strength of legal rights index (0-12) 7 6.1 12 (5 Economies) Depth of credit information index (0-8) 6 6.7 8 (42 Economies) Credit registry coverage (% of adults) 0 21.8 100.0 (4 Economies) Credit bureau coverage (% of adults) 21.4 65.3 100.0 (25 Economies) Figure – Getting Credit in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Getting Credit Score 0 100 70.00: Germany (Rank: 44) 70.00: Denmark (Rank: 44) 65.00: Finland (Rank: 60) 64.12: Regional Average (OECD high income) 60.00: Iceland (Rank: 73) 50.00: France (Rank: 99) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of getting credit is determined by sorting their scores for getting credit. These scores are the sum of the scores for the strength of legal rights index and the depth of credit information index. Figure – Legal Rights in Finland and comparator economies 8 8 7 7 6 6.1 6 Index Score 5 5 4 4 3 2 1 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 29 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Legal Rights in Finland Strength of legal rights index (0-12) 7 Does an integrated or unified legal framework for secured transactions that extends to the creation, publicity and No enforcement of functional equivalents to security interests in movable assets exist in the economy? Does the law allow businesses to grant a non possessory security right in a single category of movable assets, without No requiring a specific description of collateral? Does the law allow businesses to grant a non possessory security right in substantially all of its assets, without requiring a Yes specific description of collateral? May a security right extend to future or after-acquired assets, and does it extend automatically to the products, proceeds and Yes replacements of the original assets? Is a general description of debts and obligations permitted in collateral agreements; can all types of debts and obligations be Yes secured between parties; and can the collateral agreement include a maximum amount for which the assets are encumbered? Is a collateral registry in operation for both incorporated and non-incorporated entities, that is unified geographically and by Yes asset type, with an electronic database indexed by debtor's name? Does a notice-based collateral registry exist in which all functional equivalents can be registered? No Does a modern collateral registry exist in which registrations, amendments, cancellations and searches can be performed No online by any interested third party? Are secured creditors paid first (i.e. before tax claims and employee claims) when a debtor defaults outside an insolvency Yes procedure? Are secured creditors paid first (i.e. before tax claims and employee claims) when a business is liquidated? Yes Are secured creditors subject to an automatic stay on enforcement when a debtor enters a court-supervised reorganization Yes procedure? Does the law protect secured creditors’ rights by providing clear grounds for relief from the stay and sets a time limit for it? Does the law allow parties to agree on out of court enforcement at the time a security interest is created? Does the law allow No the secured creditor to sell the collateral through public auction or private tender, as well as, for the secured creditor to keep the asset in satisfaction of the debt? Figure – Credit Information in Finland and comparator economies 8 8 7 7 6.7 6 6 6 6 Index Score 5 4 3 2 1 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 30 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Credit Information in Finland Depth of credit information index (0-8) Credit Credit Score bureau registry Are data on both firms and individuals distributed? Yes No 1 Are both positive and negative credit data distributed? No No 0 Are data from retailers or utility companies - in addition to data from banks and No No 0 financial institutions - distributed? Are at least 2 years of historical data distributed? (Credit bureaus and registries Yes No 1 that distribute more than 10 years of negative data or erase data on defaults as soon as they are repaid obtain a score of 0 for this component.) Are data on loan amounts below 1% of income per capita distributed? Yes No 1 By law, do borrowers have the right to access their data in the credit bureau or Yes No 1 credit registry? Can banks and financial institutions access borrowers’ credit information online Yes No 1 (for example, through an online platform, a system-to-system connection or both)? Are bureau or registry credit scores offered as a value-added service to help Yes No 1 banks and financial institutions assess the creditworthiness of borrowers? Total Score ("yes" to either public bureau or private registry) 6 Note: An economy receives a score of 1 if there is a "yes" to either bureau or registry. If the credit bureau or registry is not operational or covers less than 5% of the adult population, the total score on the depth of credit information index is 0. Coverage Credit bureau Credit registry Number of individuals 374,100 0 Number of firms 362,000 0 Total 736,100 0 Percentage of adult population 21.4 0 Page 31 Doing Business 2019 Finland Protecting Minority Investors This topic measures the strength of minority shareholder protections against misuse of corporate assets by directors for their personal gain as well as shareholder rights, governance safeguards and corporate transparency requirements that reduce the risk of abuse. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions • Extent of disclosure index (0–10): Review and To make the data comparable across economies, a case study uses several approval requirements for related-party assumptions about the business and the transaction. transactions; Disclosure requirements for related- party transactions The business (Buyer): • Extent of director liability index (0–10): Ability - Is a publicly traded corporation listed on the economy’s most important stock of minority shareholders to sue and hold exchange. If there are fewer than ten listed companies or if there is no stock interested directors liable for prejudicial related- exchange in the economy, it is assumed that Buyer is a large private company with party transactions; Available legal remedies multiple shareholders. (damages, disgorgement of profits, fines, - Has a board of directors and a chief executive officer (CEO) who may legally act on imprisonment, rescission of the transaction) behalf of Buyer where permitted, even if this is not specifically required by law. • Ease of shareholder suits index (0–10): - Has a supervisory board in economies with a two-tier board system on which Mr. Access to internal corporate documents; James appointed 60% of the shareholder-elected members. Evidence obtainable during trial and allocation of - Has not adopted bylaws or articles of association that go beyond the minimum legal expenses requirements. Does not follow codes, principles, recommendations or guidelines that are not mandatory. • Extent of conflict of interest regulation index - Is a manufacturing company with its own distribution network. (0–10): Simple average of the extent of disclosure, extent of director liability and ease of The transaction involves the following details: shareholder indices - Mr. James owns 60% of Buyer, sits on Buyer’s board of directors and elected two • Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10): directors to Buyer’s five-member board. Shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate - Mr. James also owns 90% of Seller, a company that operates a chain of retail decisions hardware stores. Seller recently closed a large number of its stores. • Extent of ownership and control index (0-10): - Mr. James proposes that Buyer purchase Seller’s unused fleet of trucks to expand Governance safeguards protecting shareholders Buyer’s distribution of its food products, a proposal to which Buyer agrees. The price from undue board control and entrenchment is equal to 10% of Buyer’s assets and is higher than the market value. - The proposed transaction is part of the company’s principal activity and is not • Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10): outside the authority of the company. Corporate transparency on ownership stakes, - Buyer enters into the transaction. All required approvals are obtained, and all compensation, audits and financial prospects required disclosures made—that is, the transaction was not entered into fraudulently. • Extent of shareholder governance index (0– - The transaction causes damages to Buyer. Shareholders sue Mr. James and the 10): Simple average of the extent of shareholders executives and directors that approved the transaction. rights, extent of ownership and control and extent of corporate transparency indices • Strength of minority investor protection index (0–10): Simple average of the extent of conflict of interest regulation and extent of shareholder governance indices Page 32 Doing Business 2019 Finland Protecting Minority Investors - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Extent of disclosure index (0-10) 6.0 6.5 10 (13 Economies) Extent of director liability index (0-10) 4.0 5.3 10 (Cambodia) Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) 8.0 7.3 10 (Djibouti) Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) 6.0 6.4 10 (Kazakhstan) Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) 2.0 5.4 None in 2017/18 Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) 9.0 7.6 10 (6 Economies) Figure – Protecting Minority Investors in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Protecting Minority Investors Score 0 100 70.00: Iceland (Rank: 30) 66.67: Denmark (Rank: 38) 66.67: France (Rank: 38) 64.21: Regional Average (OECD high income) 58.33: Germany (Rank: 72) 58.33: Finland (Rank: 72) Note: The ranking of economies on the strength of minority investor protections is determined by sorting their scores for protecting minority investors. These scores are the simple average of the scores for the extent of conflict of interest regulation index and the extent of shareholder governance index. Figure – Protecting Minority Investors in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality Finland 9 4 6 2 6 8 Denmark 9 5 7 5 6 8 France 10 3 8 8 5 6 Germany 7 5 5 6 7 5 Iceland 9 5 7 7 6 8 OECD high income 7.4 5.5 6.5 5.2 6.3 7.4 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Sub-Indicator Score Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) Extent of director liability index (0-10) Extent of disclosure index (0-10) Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) Page 33 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Protecting Minority Investors in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Extent of conflict of interest regulation index (0-10) 6 Extent of disclosure index (0-10) 6.0 Whose decision is sufficient to approve the Buyer-Seller transaction? (0-3) Board of 2.0 directors excluding interested members Must an external body review the terms of the transaction before it takes place? (0-1) No 0.0 Must Mr. James disclose his conflict of interest to the board of directors? (0-2) Existence of a 1.0 conflict without any specifics Must Buyer disclose the transaction in periodic filings (e.g. annual reports)? (0-2) Disclosure on the 2.0 transaction and on the conflict of interest Must Buyer immediately disclose the transaction to the public? (0-2) Disclosure on the 1.0 transaction only Extent of director liability index (0-10) 4.0 Can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital sue for the damage the Yes 1.0 transaction caused to Buyer? (0-1) Can shareholders hold Mr. James liable for the damage the transaction caused to Buyer? (0- Liable if negligent 1.0 2) Can shareholders hold the other directors liable for the damage the transaction caused to Liable if negligent 1.0 Buyer (0-2) Must Mr. James pay damages for the harm caused to Buyer upon a successful claim by Yes 1.0 shareholders? (0-1) Must Mr. James repay profits made from the transaction upon a successful claim by No 0.0 shareholders? (0-1) Is Mr. James disqualified upon a successful claim by shareholders? (0-1) No 0.0 Can a court void the transaction upon a successful claim by shareholders? (0-2) Only in case of 0.0 fraud or bad faith Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) 8.0 Before suing, can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital inspect the Yes 1.0 transaction documents? (0-1) Can the plaintiff obtain any documents from the defendant and witnesses at trial? (0-3) Any relevant 3.0 document Can the plaintiff request categories of documents from the defendant without identifying No 0.0 specific ones? (0-1) Can the plaintiff directly question the defendant and witnesses at trial? (0-2) Yes 2.0 Is the level of proof required for civil suits lower than that of criminal cases? (0-1) Yes 1.0 Can shareholder plaintiffs recover their legal expenses from the company? (0-2) Yes if successful 1.0 Extent of shareholder governance index (0-10) 5.7 Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) 6.0 Does the sale of 51% of Buyer's assets require shareholder approval? No 0.0 Can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital call for a meeting of Yes 1.0 shareholders? Must Buyer obtain its shareholders’ approval every time it issues new shares? Yes 1.0 Page 34 Doing Business 2019 Finland Do shareholders automatically receive preemption rights every time Buyer issues new Yes 1.0 shares? Must shareholders approve the election and dismissal of the external auditor? Yes 1.0 Are changes to the rights of a class of shares only possible if the holders of the affected Yes 1.0 shares approve? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, does the sale of 51% of its assets require No 0.0 member approval? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, can members representing 10% call for a Yes 1.0 meeting of members? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must all or almost all members consent to add a No 0.0 new member? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must a member first offer to sell their interest to No 0.0 the existing members before they can sell to non-members? Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) 2.0 Is it forbidden to appoint the same individual as CEO and chairperson of the board of No 0.0 directors? Must the board of directors include independent and nonexecutive board members? No 0.0 Can shareholders remove members of the board of directors without cause before the end Yes 1.0 of their term? Must the board of directors include a separate audit committee exclusively comprising board No 0.0 members? Must a potential acquirer make a tender offer to all shareholders upon acquiring 50% of Yes 1.0 Buyer? Must Buyer pay declared dividends within a maximum period set by law? No 0.0 Is a subsidiary prohibited from acquiring shares issued by its parent company? No 0.0 Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer have a mechanism to resolve No 0.0 disagreements among members? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must a potential acquirer make a tender offer to No 0.0 all shareholders upon acquiring 50% of Buyer? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer distribute profits within a maximum No 0.0 period set by law? Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) 9.0 Must Buyer disclose direct and indirect beneficial ownership stakes representing 5%? Yes 1.0 Must Buyer disclose information about board members’ primary employment and No 0.0 directorships in other companies? Must Buyer disclose the compensation of individual managers? Yes 1.0 Must a detailed notice of general meeting be sent 21 days before the meeting? Yes 1.0 Can shareholders representing 5% of Buyer’s share capital put items on the general meeting Yes 1.0 agenda? Must Buyer's annual financial statements be audited by an external auditor? Yes 1.0 Must Buyer disclose its audit reports to the public? Yes 1.0 Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must members meet at least once a year? Yes 1.0 Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, can members representing 5% put items on the Yes 1.0 meeting agenda? Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer's annual financial statements be Yes 1.0 audited by an external auditor? Page 35 Doing Business 2019 Finland Paying Taxes This topic records the taxes and mandatory contributions that a medium-size company must pay or withhold in a given year, as well as the administrative burden of paying taxes and contributions and complying with postfiling procedures (VAT refund and tax audit). The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018 covering for the Paying Taxes indicator calendar year 2017 (January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017). See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Tax payments for a manufacturing company in Using a case scenario, Doing Business records taxes and mandatory contributions a 2017 (number per year adjusted for electronic medium size company must pay in a year, and measures the administrative burden and joint filing and payment) of paying taxes, contributions and dealing with postfiling processes. Information is also compiled on frequency of filing and payments, time taken to comply with tax • Total number of taxes and contributions paid or laws, time taken to comply with the requirements of postfiling processes and time withheld, including consumption taxes (value waiting. added tax, sales tax or goods and service tax) • Method and frequency of filing and payment To make data comparable across economies, several assumptions are used: - TaxpayerCo is a medium-size business that started operations on January 1, 2016. Time required to comply with 3 major taxes It produces ceramic flowerpots and sells them at retail. All taxes and contributions (hours per year) recorded are paid in the second year of operation (calendar year 2017). Taxes and • Collecting information, computing tax payable mandatory contributions are measured at all levels of government. • Preparing separate tax accounting books, if The VAT refund process: required - In June 2017, TaxpayerCo. makes a large capital purchase: the value of the • Completing tax return, filing with agencies machine is 65 times income per capita of the economy. Sales are equally spread per month (1,050 times income per capita divided by 12) and cost of goods sold are • Arranging payment or withholding equally expensed per month (875 times income per capita divided by 12). The Total tax and contribution rate (% of commercial machinery seller is registered for VAT and excess input VAT incurred in June will be fully recovered after four consecutive months if the VAT rate is the same for inputs, profits) sales and the machine and the tax reporting period is every month. Input VAT will • Profit or corporate income tax exceed Output VAT in June 2017. • Social contributions, labor taxes paid by The corporate income tax audit process: employer - An error in calculation of income tax liability (for example, use of incorrect tax • Property and property transfer taxes depreciation rates, or incorrectly treating an expense as tax deductible) leads to an • Dividend, capital gains, financial transactions incorrect income tax return and a corporate income tax underpayment. TaxpayerCo. taxes discovered the error and voluntarily notified the tax authority. The value of the underpaid income tax liability is 5% of the corporate income tax liability • Waste collection, vehicle, road and other taxes due. TaxpayerCo. submits corrected information after the deadline for submitting the annual tax return, but within the tax assessment period. Postfiling Index • Time to comply with a VAT refund (hours) • Time to obtain a VAT refund (weeks) • Time to comply with a corporate income tax correction (hours) • Time to complete a corporate income tax correction (weeks) Page 36 Doing Business 2019 Finland Paying Taxes - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Payments (number per year) 8 11.2 3 (Hong Kong SAR, China) Time (hours per year) 90 159.4 49 (Singapore) Total tax and contribution rate (% of profit) 37.3 39.8 26.1% (32 Economies) Postfiling index (0-100) 93.09 84.41 None in 2017/18 Figure – Paying Taxes in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Paying Taxes Score 0 100 91.14: Denmark (Rank: 9) 90.64: Finland (Rank: 11) 84.64: Iceland (Rank: 33) 83.32: Regional Average (OECD high income) 82.11: Germany (Rank: 43) 79.31: France (Rank: 55) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of paying taxes is determined by sorting their scores for paying taxes. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators, with a threshold and a nonlinear transformation applied to one of the component indicators, the total tax and contribution rate. The threshold is defined as the total tax and contribution rate at the 15th percentile of the overall distribution for all years included in the analysis up to and including Doing Business 2015, which is 26.1%. All economies with a total tax and contribution rate below this threshold receive the same score as the economy at the threshold. Figure – Paying Taxes in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality 97.67 100 93.09 92.40 89.06 87.20 84.41 80 Index score 60 40 20 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 37 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Paying Taxes in Finland Tax or Payments Notes on Time Statutory Tax base Total tax Notes on mandatory (number) Payments (hours) tax rate and TTCR contribution contribution rate (% of profit) Pension 1.0 online 48.0 17.95% gross salaries 19.27 insurance contributions Corporate 1.0 online 18.0 20% taxable profits 11.94 income tax Social 1.0 online 1.08% gross salaries 2.32 security contributions Real estate 2.0 0.93%-1.8% property 1.38 tax value Unemployme 1.0 online 0.80 - 2.33% gross salaries 1.23 nt insurance contributions Accident 0.0 jointly 0.1% - 7.0%* gross salaries 0.98 insurance contributions Public 0.0 jointly Fixed fee 0.14 Broadcasting tax Group-life 0.0 jointly 0.07% gross salaries 0.08 insurance contributions Employee 0.0 gross salaries 0.00 not included labor tax Value added 1.0 online 24.0 24% net sales 0.00 not included tax (VAT) Vehicle tax 1.0 Fixed fee see sheet 7 0.00 small amount depending on vehicle Totals 8 90 37.3 Page 38 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Paying Taxes in Finland – Tax by Type Taxes by type Answer Profit tax (% of profit) 11.9 Labor tax and contributions (% of profit) 23.9 Other taxes (% of profit) 1.5 Page 39 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Paying Taxes in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Postfiling index (0-100) 93.09 VAT refunds Does VAT exist? Yes Does a VAT refund process exist per the case study? Yes Restrictions on VAT refund process None Percentage of cases exposed to a VAT audit (%) 0% - 24% Is there a mandatory carry forward period? No Time to comply with VAT refund (hours) 5.0 90 Time to obtain a VAT refund (weeks) 6.2 94.27 Corporate income tax audits Does corporate income tax exist? Yes Percentage of cases exposed to a corporate income tax audit (%) 0% - 24% Time to comply with a corporate income tax correction (hours) 8.0 88.07 Time to complete a corporate income tax correction (weeks) No tax audit per 100 case study scenario Notes: Names of taxes have been standardized. For instance income tax, profit tax, tax on company's income are all named corporate income tax in this table. The hours for VAT include all the VAT and sales taxes applicable. The hours for Social Security include all the hours for labor taxes and mandatory contributions in general. The postfiling index is the average of the scores on time to comply with VAT refund, time to obtain a VAT refund, time to comply with a corporate income tax correction and time to complete a corporate income tax correction. N/A = Not applicable. Page 40 Doing Business 2019 Finland Trading across Borders Doing Business records the time and cost associated with the logistical process of exporting and importing goods. Doing Business measures the time and cost (excluding tariffs) associated with three sets of procedures—documentary compliance, border compliance and domestic transport—within the overall process of exporting or importing a shipment of goods. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Documentary compliance To make the data comparable across economies, a few assumptions are made about the traded goods and the transactions: • Obtaining, preparing and submitting documents during transport, clearance, inspections and port Time: Time is measured in hours, and 1 day is 24 hours (for example, 22 days are or border handling in origin economy recorded as 22×24=528 hours). If customs clearance takes 7.5 hours, the data are • Obtaining, preparing and submitting documents recorded as is. Alternatively, suppose documents are submitted to a customs agency required by destination economy and any transit at 8:00a.m., are processed overnight and can be picked up at 8:00a.m. the next day. economies The time for customs clearance would be recorded as 24 hours because the actual procedure took 24 hours. • Covers all documents required by law and in practice, including electronic submissions of Cost: Insurance cost and informal payments for which no receipt is issued are information excluded from the costs recorded. Costs are reported in U.S. dollars. Contributors Border compliance are asked to convert local currency into U.S. dollars based on the exchange rate prevailing on the day they answer the questionnaire. Contributors are private sector • Customs clearance and inspections experts in international trade logistics and are informed about exchange rates. • Inspections by other agencies (if applied to more than 20% of shipments) Assumptions of the case study: - For all 190 economies covered by Doing Business, it is assumed a shipment is in a • Handling and inspections that take place at the warehouse in the largest business city of the exporting economy and travels to a economy’s port or border warehouse in the largest business city of the importing economy. - It is assumed each economy imports 15 metric tons of containerized auto parts (HS Domestic transport 8708) from its natural import partner—the economy from which it imports the largest • Loading or unloading of the shipment at the value (price times quantity) of auto parts. It is assumed each economy exports the warehouse or port/border product of its comparative advantage (defined by the largest export value) to its • Transport between warehouse and port/border natural export partner—the economy that is the largest purchaser of this product. Shipment value is assumed to be $50,000. • Traffic delays and road police checks while - The mode of transport is the one most widely used for the chosen export or import shipment is en route product and the trading partner, as is the seaport or land border crossing. - All electronic information submissions requested by any government agency in connection with the shipment are considered to be documents obtained, prepared and submitted during the export or import process. - A port or border is a place (seaport or land border crossing) where merchandise can enter or leave an economy. - Relevant government agencies include customs, port authorities, road police, border guards, standardization agencies, ministries or departments of agriculture or industry, national security agencies and any other government authorities. Page 41 Doing Business 2019 Finland Trading across Borders - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Time to export: Border compliance (hours) 36 12.5 1 (19 Economies) Cost to export: Border compliance (USD) 213 139.1 0 (19 Economies) Time to export: Documentary compliance (hours) 2 2.4 1 (26 Economies) Cost to export: Documentary compliance (USD) 70 35.2 0 (20 Economies) Time to import: Border compliance (hours) 2 8.5 0 (25 Economies) Cost to import: Border compliance (USD) 0 100.2 0 (28 Economies) Time to import: Documentary compliance (hours) 1 3.4 1 (30 Economies) Cost to import: Documentary compliance (USD) 0 24.9 0 (30 Economies) Figure – Trading across Borders in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Trading Across Borders Score 0 100 94.21: Regional Average (OECD high income) 92.44: Finland (Rank: 34) 91.77: Germany (Rank: 40) 86.71: Iceland (Rank: 53) 100.00: Denmark (Rank: 1) 100.00: France (Rank: 1) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of trading across borders is determined by sorting their scores for trading across borders. These scores are the simple average of the scores for the time and cost for documentary compliance and border compliance to export and import. Figure – Trading across Borders in Finland – Time and Cost Time (hours) Cost (USD) 40 36 250 213 35 200 30 Time (hours) Cost (USD) 25 150 20 15 100 70 10 50 5 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 Export Export Import Import - - - - Border Documentary Border Documentary Compliance Compliance Compliance Compliance Page 42 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Trading across Borders in Finland Characteristics Export Import Product HS 84 : Nuclear reactors, boilers, HS 8708: Parts and accessories of motor machinery and mechanical appliances; vehicles parts thereof Trade partner China Germany Border Helsinki port Helsinki port Distance (km) 10 10 Domestic transport time (hours) 2 2 Domestic transport cost (USD) 183 183 Details – Trading across Borders in Finland – Components of Border Compliance Time to Complete (hours) Associated Costs (USD) Export: Clearance and inspections required 1.8 52.5 by customs authorities Export: Clearance and inspections required 0.0 0.0 by agencies other than customs Export: Port or border handling 34.3 160.0 Import: Clearance and inspections required 0.0 0.0 by customs authorities Import: Clearance and inspections required 0.0 0.0 by agencies other than customs Import: Port or border handling 2.0 0.0 Page 43 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Trading across Borders in Finland – Trade Documents Export Import Customs export declaration CMR Waybill Commercial invoice Packing list Bill of Lading Commercial invoice Packing list Intrastat SOLAS certificate Page 44 Doing Business 2019 Finland Enforcing Contracts The enforcing contracts indicator measures the time and cost for resolving a commercial dispute through a local first-instance court, and the quality of judicial processes index, evaluating whether each economy has adopted a series of good practices that promote quality and efficiency in the court system. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Time required to enforce a contract through the The dispute in the case study involves the breach of a sales contract between 2 courts (calendar days) domestic businesses. The case study assumes that the court hears an expert on the quality of the goods in dispute. This distinguishes the case from simple debt • Time to file and serve the case enforcement. • Time for trial and to obtain the judgment To make the data comparable across economies, Doing Business uses several • Time to enforce the judgment assumptions about the case: Cost required to enforce a contract through the - The dispute concerns a lawful transaction between two businesses (Seller and courts (% of claim) Buyer), both located in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city. • Attorney fees - The buyer orders custom-made goods, then fails to pay alleging that the goods are • Court fees not of adequate quality. - The value of the dispute is 200% of the income per capita or the equivalent in local • Enforcement fees currency of USD 5,000, whichever is greater. - The seller sues the buyer before the court with jurisdiction over commercial cases Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) worth 200% of income per capita or $5,000. • Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) - The seller requests the pretrial attachment of the defendant’s movable assets to secure the claim. • Case management (0-6) - The dispute on the quality of the goods requires an expert opinion. • Court automation (0-4) - The judge decides in favor of the seller; there is no appeal. • Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) - The seller enforces the judgment through a public sale of the buyer’s movable assets. Page 45 Doing Business 2019 Finland Enforcing Contracts - Finland Standardized Case Claim value EUR 78,550 Court name Helsinki District Court City Covered Helsinki Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Time (days) 485 582.4 None in 2017/18 Cost (% of claim value) 16.2 21.2 None in 2017/18 Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.5 11.5 None in 2017/18 Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Enforcing Contracts Score 0 100 74.89: France (Rank: 12) 73.92: Denmark (Rank: 14) 70.39: Germany (Rank: 26) 69.10: Iceland (Rank: 31) 67.65: Regional Average (OECD high income) 66.40: Finland (Rank: 46) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of enforcing contracts is determined by sorting their scores for enforcing contracts. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators. Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Finland – Time and Cost Time (days) Cost (% of claim value) 700 23.3 25 Cost (% of claim value) 600 582.4 21.2 499 20 485 485 17.4 500 16.2 Time (days) 395 14.4 417 400 15 300 9.0 10 200 5 100 0 0 Denmark Finland France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 46 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality Finland 2.5 2 2.5 1.5 Denmark 2.5 4.5 3.5 3.5 France 2.5 3 2 4.5 Germany 3 1.5 1.5 4.5 Iceland 2 2 2 1.5 OECD high income 2.5 3.1 2.3 3.6 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Sub-Indicator Score Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) Case management (0-6) Court automation (0-4) Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) Details – Enforcing Contracts in Finland Indicator Time (days) 485 Filing and service 14 Trial and judgment 365 Enforcement of judgment 106 Cost (% of claim value) 16.2 Attorney fees 12.5 Court fees 3.5 Enforcement fees 0.2 Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.5 Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) 1.5 Case management (0-6) 2.0 Court automation (0-4) 2.5 Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) 2.5 Page 47 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Enforcing Contracts in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.5 Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) 1.5 1. Is there a court or division of a court dedicated solely to hearing commercial cases? No 0.0 2. Small claims court 0.0 2.a. Is there a small claims court or a fast-track procedure for small claims? No 2.b. If yes, is self-representation allowed? n.a. 3. Is pretrial attachment available? Yes 1.0 4. Are new cases assigned randomly to judges? Yes, but manual 0.5 5. Does a woman's testimony carry the same evidentiary weight in court as a man's? Yes 0.0 Case management (0-6) 2.0 1. Time standards 0.0 1.a. Are there laws setting overall time standards for key court events in a civil No case? 1.b. If yes, are the time standards set for at least three court events? n.a. 1.c. Are these time standards respected in more than 50% of cases? n.a. 2. Adjournments 0.0 2.a. Does the law regulate the maximum number of adjournments that can be No granted? 2.b. Are adjournments limited to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances? Yes 2.c. If rules on adjournments exist, are they respected in more than 50% of cases? No 3. Can two of the following four reports be generated about the competent court: (i) time to Yes 1.0 disposition report; (ii) clearance rate report; (iii) age of pending cases report; and (iv) single case progress report? 4. Is a pretrial conference among the case management techniques used before the Yes 1.0 competent court? 5. Are there any electronic case management tools in place within the competent court for No 0.0 use by judges? 6. Are there any electronic case management tools in place within the competent court for No 0.0 use by lawyers? Court automation (0-4) 2.5 1. Can the initial complaint be filed electronically through a dedicated platform within the no 0.0 competent court? 2. Is it possible to carry out service of process electronically for claims filed before the Yes 1.0 competent court? 3. Can court fees be paid electronically within the competent court? Yes 1.0 4. Publication of judgments 0.5 4.a Are judgments rendered in commercial cases at all levels made available to the No general public through publication in official gazettes, in newspapers or on the internet or court website? 4.b. Are judgments rendered in commercial cases at the appellate and supreme Yes court level made available to the general public through publication in official gazettes, in newspapers or on the internet or court website? Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) 2.5 1. Arbitration 1.5 Page 48 Doing Business 2019 Finland 1.a. Is domestic commercial arbitration governed by a consolidated law or Yes consolidated chapter or section of the applicable code of civil procedure encompassing substantially all its aspects? 1.b. Are there any commercial disputes—aside from those that deal with public No order or public policy—that cannot be submitted to arbitration? 1.c. Are valid arbitration clauses or agreements usually enforced by the courts? Yes 2. Mediation/Conciliation 1.0 2.a. Is voluntary mediation or conciliation available? Yes 2.b. Are mediation, conciliation or both governed by a consolidated law or Yes consolidated chapter or section of the applicable code of civil procedure encompassing substantially all their aspects? 2.c. Are there financial incentives for parties to attempt mediation or conciliation No (i.e., if mediation or conciliation is successful, a refund of court filing fees, income tax credits or the like)? Page 49 Doing Business 2019 Finland Resolving Insolvency Doing Business studies the time, cost and outcome of insolvency proceedings involving domestic legal entities. These variables are used to calculate the recovery rate, which is recorded as cents on the dollar recovered by secured creditors through reorganization, liquidation or debt enforcement (foreclosure or receivership) proceedings. To determine the present value of the amount recovered by creditors, Doing Business uses the lending rates from the International Monetary Fund, supplemented with data from central banks and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Time required to recover debt (years) To make the data on the time, cost and outcome comparable across economies, several assumptions about the business and the case are used: • Measured in calendar years • Appeals and requests for extension are included - A hotel located in the largest city (or cities) has 201 employees and 50 suppliers. The hotel experiences financial difficulties. Cost required to recover debt (% of debtor’s - The value of the hotel is 100% of the income per capita or the equivalent in local estate) currency of USD 200,000, whichever is greater. - The hotel has a loan from a domestic bank, secured by a mortgage over the hotel’s • Measured as percentage of estate value real estate. The hotel cannot pay back the loan, but makes enough money to • Court fees operate otherwise. • Fees of insolvency administrators In addition, Doing Business evaluates the quality of legal framework applicable to • Lawyers’ fees judicial liquidation and reorganization proceedings and the extent to which best • Assessors’ and auctioneers’ fees insolvency practices have been implemented in each economy covered. • Other related fees Outcome • Whether business continues operating as a going concern or business assets are sold piecemeal Recovery rate for creditors • Measures the cents on the dollar recovered by secured creditors • Outcome for the business (survival or not) determines the maximum value that can be recovered • Official costs of the insolvency proceedings are deducted • Depreciation of furniture is taken into account • Present value of debt recovered Strength of insolvency framework index (0- 16) • Sum of the scores of four component indices: • Commencement of proceedings index (0-3) • Management of debtor’s assets index (0-6) • Reorganization proceedings index (0-3) • Creditor participation index (0-4) Page 50 Doing Business 2019 Finland Resolving Insolvency - Finland Indicator Finland OECD high Best Regulatory income Performance Recovery rate (cents on the dollar) 88.3 70.5 None in 2017/18 Time (years) 0.9 1.7 0.4 (Ireland) Cost (% of estate) 3.5 9.3 1.0 (Norway) Outcome (0 as piecemeal sale and 1 as going concern) 1 .. .. Strength of insolvency framework index (0-16) 14.5 11.9 None in 2017/18 Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Finland and comparator economies – Ranking and Score DB 2019 Resolving Insolvency Score 0 100 92.81: Finland (Rank: 2) 90.12: Germany (Rank: 4) 85.13: Denmark (Rank: 6) 81.85: Iceland (Rank: 12) 75.21: Regional Average (OECD high income) 74.08: France (Rank: 28) Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of resolving insolvency is determined by sorting their scores for resolving insolvency. These scores are the simple average of the scores for the recovery rate and the strength of insolvency framework index. Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Finland – Time and Cost Time (years) Cost (% of estate) 2 1.9 9.3 10 9.0 1.7 8.0 Cost (% of estate) 8 1.5 Time (years) 1.2 6 1.0 1.0 1 0.9 4.0 3.5 3.5 4 0.5 2 0 0 Denmark Finland France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 51 Doing Business 2019 Finland Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Finland and comparator economies – Measure of Quality Finland 6 3 3 2.5 Denmark 6 3 2 1 France 6 3 1 1 Germany 6 3 3 3 Iceland 6 2.5 2 1 OECD high income 5.3 2.8 2.2 1.9 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Sub-Indicator Score Management of debtor's assets index (0-6) Commencement of proceedings index (0-3) Creditor participation index (0-4) Reorganization proceedings index (0-3) Note: Even if the economy’s legal framework includes provisions related to insolvency proceedings (liquidation or reorganization), the economy receives 0 points for the strength of insolvency framework index, if time, cost and outcome indicators are recorded as “no practice.” Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Finland and comparator economies – Recovery Rate Recovery rate(cents on the dollar) 100 88.3 88.5 85.3 80.4 80 73.8 70.5 60 40 20 0 Finland Denmark France Germany Iceland OECD high income Page 52 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Resolving Insolvency in Finland Indicator Answer Score Proceeding reorganization Mirage management will have a better understanding of the financial state of the hotel and will be able to commence insolvency proceedings before BizBank can initiate enforcement action. Hotel management may propose a restructuring plan however, BizBank, as the majority creditor can defeat it. As BizBank has a floating charge over the hotel property, it could notify the liquidator of the existence of the security interest and the liquidator would then sell the assets and distribute them. However, BizBank would only be able to retain 50% of the value of such floating charge, while the remainder of that value would be applied towards satisfying the other creditors. Therefore, BizBank would not oppose the restructuring plan. Outcome going concern Sale as a going concern is the best way to maximize the value of the hotel. Time (in years) 0.9 It takes 11 months to resolve insolvency in Finland. The reorganization plan must be proposed within four months after the commencement of the reorganization proceedings. After the approval of the plan, a debtor company starts to comply with it and its implementation might take approximately 4-7 years. Cost (% of 3.5 Main expenses include attorneys' fees, remuneration of the liquidator and fees of other estate) professionals involved in the insolvency proceedings. Recovery rate 88.3 (cents on the dollar) Page 53 Doing Business 2019 Finland Details – Resolving Insolvency in Finland – Measure of Quality Answer Score Strength of insolvency framework index (0-16) 14.5 Commencement of proceedings index (0-3) 3.0 What procedures are available to a DEBTOR when commencing insolvency proceedings? (a) Debtor may 1.0 file for both liquidation and reorganization Does the insolvency framework allow a CREDITOR to file for insolvency of the debtor? (a) Yes, a creditor 1.0 may file for both liquidation and reorganization What basis for commencement of the insolvency proceedings is allowed under the (c) Both (a) and 1.0 insolvency framework? (b) options are available, but only one of them needs to be complied with Management of debtor's assets index (0-6) 6.0 Does the insolvency framework allow the continuation of contracts supplying essential goods Yes 1.0 and services to the debtor? Does the insolvency framework allow the rejection by the debtor of overly burdensome Yes 1.0 contracts? Does the insolvency framework allow avoidance of preferential transactions? Yes 1.0 Does the insolvency framework allow avoidance of undervalued transactions? Yes 1.0 Does the insolvency framework provide for the possibility of the debtor obtaining credit after Yes 1.0 commencement of insolvency proceedings? Does the insolvency framework assign priority to post-commencement credit? (b) Yes over 1.0 ordinary unsecured creditors but not over secured creditors Reorganization proceedings index (0-3) 2.5 Which creditors vote on the proposed reorganization plan? (a) All creditors 0.5 Does the insolvency framework require that dissenting creditors in reorganization receive at Yes 1.0 least as much as what they would obtain in a liquidation? Are the creditors divided into classes for the purposes of voting on the reorganization plan, Yes 1.0 does each class vote separately and are creditors in the same class treated equally? Creditor participation index (0-4) 3.0 Does the insolvency framework require approval by the creditors for selection or Yes 1.0 appointment of the insolvency representative? Does the insolvency framework require approval by the creditors for sale of substantial No 0.0 assets of the debtor? Does the insolvency framework provide that a creditor has the right to request information Yes 1.0 from the insolvency representative? Does the insolvency framework provide that a creditor has the right to object to decisions Yes 1.0 accepting or rejecting creditors' claims? Note: Even if the economy’s legal framework includes provisions related to insolvency proceedings (liquidation or reorganization), the economy receives 0 points for the strength of insolvency framework index, if time, cost and outcome indicators are recorded as “no practice.” Page 54 Doing Business 2019 Finland Labor Market Regulation Doing Business presents detailed data for the labor market regulation indicators on the Doing Business website (http://www.doingbusiness.org). The report does not present rankings of economies on these indicators or include the topic in the aggregate ease of doing business score or ranking on the ease of doing business. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information. What the indicators measure Case study assumptions Hiring To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the (i) whether fixed-term contracts are prohibited for worker and the business are used. permanent tasks; (ii) maximum cumulative duration of fixed-term contracts; (iii) length of the The worker: probationary period; (iv) minimum wage. - Is a cashier in a supermarket or grocery store, age 19, with one year of work experience. Working hours - Is a full-time employee. (i) maximum number of working days allowed per - Is not a member of the labor union, unless membership is mandatory. week; (ii) premiums for work: at night, on a weekly rest day and overtime; (iii) whether there are The business: restrictions on work at night, work on a weekly rest - Is a limited liability company (or the equivalent in the economy). day and for overtime work; (iv) whether - Operates a supermarket or grocery store in the economy’s largest business city. nonpregnant and nonnursing women can work For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city. same night hours as men; (v) length of paid annual - Has 60 employees. leave. - Is subject to collective bargaining agreements if such agreements cover more than 50% of the food retail sector and they apply even to firms that are not party to them. Redundancy rules - Abides by every law and regulation but does not grant workers more benefits than (i) whether redundancy can be basis for terminating those mandated by law, regulation or (if applicable) collective bargaining workers; (ii) whether employer needs to notify agreements. and/or get approval from third party to terminate 1 redundant worker and a group of 9 redundant workers; (iii) whether law requires employer to reassign or retrain a worker before making worker redundant; (iv) whether priority rules apply for redundancies and reemployment. Redundancy cost (i) notice period for redundancy dismissal; (ii) severance payments due when terminating a redundant worker. Job quality (i) whether law mandates equal remuneration for work of equal value and nondiscrimination based on gender in hiring; (ii) whether law mandates paid or unpaid maternity leave; (iii) length of paid maternity leave; (iv) whether employees on maternity leave receive 100% of wages; (v) availability of five fully paid days of sick leave a year; (vi) eligibility requirements for unemployment protection. Page 55 Doing Business 2019 Finland Labor Market Regulation - Finland Details – Labor Market Regulation in Finland Answer Hiring Fixed-term contracts prohibited for permanent tasks? Yes Maximum length of a single fixed-term contract (months) No limit Maximum length of fixed-term contracts, including renewals (months) 60.0 Minimum wage applicable to the worker assumed in the case study (US$/month) 1932.4 Ratio of minimum wage to value added per worker 0.3 Maximum length of probationary period (months) 6.0 Working hours Standard workday 8.0 Maximum number of working days per week 6.0 Premium for night work (% of hourly pay) 15.7 Premium for work on weekly rest day (% of hourly pay) 100.0 Premium for overtime work (% of hourly pay) 50.0 Restrictions on night work? No Whether nonpregnant and nonnursing women can work the same night hours as men Yes Restrictions on weekly holiday? No Restrictions on overtime work? No Paid annual leave for a worker with 1 year of tenure (working days) 30.0 Paid annual leave for a worker with 5 years of tenure (working days) 30.0 Paid annual leave for a worker with 10 years of tenure (working days) 30.0 Paid annual leave (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure, in working days) 30.0 Redundancy rules Dismissal due to redundancy allowed by law? Yes Third-party notification if one worker is dismissed? Yes Third-party approval if one worker is dismissed? No Third-party notification if nine workers are dismissed? Yes Third-party approval if nine workers are dismissed? No Retraining or reassignment obligation before redundancy? Yes Priority rules for redundancies? No Priority rules for reemployment? Yes Redundancy cost Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 1 year of tenure 4.3 Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 5 years of tenure 8.7 Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 10 years of tenure 17.3 Notice period for redundancy dismissal (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure) 10.1 Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 1 year of tenure 0.0 Page 56 Doing Business 2019 Finland Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 5 years of tenure 0.0 Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 10 years of tenure 0.0 Severance pay for redundancy dismissal (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure) 0.0 Job quality Equal remuneration for work of equal value? Yes Gender nondiscrimination in hiring? Yes Paid or unpaid maternity leave mandated by law? Yes Minimum length of maternity leave (calendar days)? 147.0 Receive 100% of wages on maternity leave? Yes Five fully paid days of sick leave a year? Yes Unemployment protection after one year of employment? Yes Minimum contribution period for unemployment protection (months)? 6.0 Page 57 Doing Business 2019 Finland Business Reforms in Finland In the past year, Doing Business observed a peaking of reform activity worldwide. From June 2, 2017, to May 1, 2018, 128 economies implemented a record 314 regulatory reforms improving the business climate. Reforms inspired by Doing Business have been implemented by economies in all regions. The following are reforms implemented since Doing Business 2008. = Doing Business reform making it easier to do business. = Change making it more difficult to do business. DB2019 Paying Taxes: Finland made paying taxes less costly by reducing the labor contribution rates paid by employers and by introducing a new and more efficient online portal for filing corporate income tax returns called ‘MyTax’. DB2018 Labor Market Regulation: Finland increased the length of the maximum probationary period for permanent employees. DB2016 Paying Taxes: Finland made paying taxes less costly for companies by reducing the corporate income tax rate—though it also increased the total rate for social security contributions paid by employers and reduced the allowed deductible amount for owners’ expenses. DB2015 Labor Market Regulation: Finland eliminated the requirement to notify a third party before dismissing a redundant employee or group of redundant employees. DB2012 Paying Taxes: Finland simplified reporting and payment for the value added tax and labor tax. DB2010 Paying Taxes: Finland made paying taxes easier and less costly for companies by extending electronic filing and reducing employers’ social security contribution rates. DB2009 Getting Credit: Finland improved its credit information system by assembling regulations relating to the credit information of individuals and companies into one act governing the production, storage, disclosure and use of credit data. Resolving Insolvency: Finland enhanced its insolvency process through amendments to the Restructuring of Enterprises Act that accelerate hearings and increase the flexibility of proceedings, making it easier for companies to enter reorganization. DB2008 Starting a Business: Finland made starting a business easier by reducing the minimum capital requirement and simplifying documentation requirements. Page 58 Doing Business 2019 Finland Page 59