On this day in 1806, the country of Liechtenstein was given full sovereignty after its accession to the Confederation of the Rhine - a formation of 16 German states formed by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. While the Confederation only lasted from 1806 to 1813, the 1814 Treaty of Paris made the German states independent.
Okay, enough history. Let's talk about Liechtenstein, the country of just over 160 square kilometers (by comparison Washington, DC is 176 sq km) and an estimated population of 35,000 now. Granted, the low population is one of the reasons for its low unemployment rate (1.5%), and its high gross domestic product per person (2nd in the world).
Liechtenstein has almost no natural resources, but it also boasts almost no debt, and the fact it has more registered companies than citizens. With a maximum corporate tax rate of 20% the country has both a highly industrialized free-enterprise economy and a large financial service sector.
The personal maximum income tax rate about 29%, even with the costs of generous social programs. One of the reasons they can do that is - Liechtenstein does not have an army - none, no one, nada. In lieu of an army, Liechtenstein's National Police, (125 members - all equipped with small arms ) is responsible for keeping order within the country and repelling any invasion from neighboring Austria or Swizerland.
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| View of Liechtenstein's Border |
By the way, Liechtenstein has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. A reason for this perhaps may be the 1.5% employment rate... or maybe it's the 100% literacy rate!
Sound too good to be true, do you wish to move to Liechtenstein? I would suggest you rent out the country before you move there...its only $70,000 per night and if you really like it, you may be able to negotiate a favorable purchase price.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/15/liechtenstein-hire-rental-scheme
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On this day in 1983, Traffic’s saxophone player Chris Wood dies of pneumonia at 39 years old.
http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/cocktails/view_cocktail.php?id=261
Ingredients:
Layer the ingredients into a shot glass in the order listed.
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On this day in 1983, Traffic’s saxophone player Chris Wood dies of pneumonia at 39 years old.
The Historical Inebriant: Traffic Light Shot
Ingredients:
half measure Midori
half measure Disaronno Amaretto
full measure De Kuyper Cranberry Liqueur
Layer the ingredients into a shot glass in the order listed.
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