The tax lists are out!!

[KukriKhan]

Thank you Dîn-Heru, very informative. I gather, from the tone of your explanation that you disapprove of such public reporting? Or no?

On the "fortune" bit, does that number assume what a taxpayer's worth would be if all assets (land, stocks, bonds, securities, pension payments, annuities, et cetera) were converted to cash today?

If you typed in a known-wealthy Norwegian guy, what would his entry look like? Just the 3 lines? Or would it be more complicated?

[naut]

If you typed in a known-wealthy Norwegian guy, what would his entry look like? Just the 3 lines? Or would it be more complicated?

I guess so. I put in the name of Norwegian writer Jan Kjærstad, and this is what I got:

KJÆRSTAD, JAN 1953 688 472 290 926 2 244 586

Where it is:

Jan Kjærstad
Year of Birth: 1953
Income: 688 472
Tax: 290 926
Fortune: 2 244 586

[HoreTore]

On the "fortune" bit, does that number assume what a taxpayer's worth would be if all assets (land, stocks, bonds, securities, pension payments, annuities, et cetera) were converted to cash today?

It's the tax value of your assets. Not quite sure what that means exactly. For example, my dad's farm's tax value is just somewhere around 300k, but if he was to sell it, he would get at least 3-4 million for it.

If you typed in a known-wealthy Norwegian guy, what would his entry look like? Just the 3 lines? Or would it be more complicated?

Exactly the same. Try typing in Olav Thon, Stein Erik Hagen or Kjell Inge Røkke. But they might have 0 income and 50 million paid in taxes though..

@Rythmic: that would be middle-class though

[Dîn-Heru]

Thank you Dîn-Heru, very informative. I gather, from the tone of your explanation that you disapprove of such public reporting? Or no?

On the "fortune" bit, does that number assume what a taxpayer's worth would be if all assets (land, stocks, bonds, securities, pension payments, annuities, et cetera) were converted to cash today?

If you typed in a known-wealthy Norwegian guy, what would his entry look like? Just the 3 lines? Or would it be more complicated?

I don't exactly disaprove of the lists being available to the public. They used to only be available on hard-copy at the tax-office, which meant that you needed to put in an effort to check them. But because of the internet newspapers can now publish them on their site. So you can sit in the comfort of you home and basically spy on your neighbour. (And many of them advertize with the line "see what your neighbour made last year")

And the newspapers basically only use them in a tabloid way, not in a critical journalistic manner to uncover corruption or other financial shenanigans.

The thing is that these list only tell income, paid taxes and taxable capital (should have been more clear on this, it is as HoreTore said less than what it is if it should be liqidized (sp?) today). So if you have 0 in income, or 0 in taxes or a high capital value this does not necessarily mean that you are not contributing to society. But because the list does not show tax deductions, inheritance, or if you took a year of and lived of your savings. The lists only tell the total sum, and not the factors that made those numbers.

Because of this the situation basically becomes neighbours suspecting each other for cheating on their taxes, envy on the workplace, kids picking on eachother, gloating over the fact that your neighbour makes less than you and the other way round.

End of rant. The point is that it is an invasion of privacy that only seeks to draw out some of the worst behaviors in us. ie envy and gloating.

[Tribesman]

Try typing in Olav Thon, Stein Erik Hagen or Kjell Inge Røkke. But they might have 0 income and 50 million paid in taxes though..

Do the equivalent over here and you could get income 50 million and taxes 0

[CountArach]

Indeed - it seems to be a running theme in the rest of the Western World. These Savages haven't discovered the fine art of Tax evasion.

[naut]

Kjell Inge Røkke, doesn't appear on the list and it appears he spend 24-25 days in jail for the purchase of an illegal boat or something.

[Dîn-Heru]

Kjell Inge Røkke, doesn't appear on the list and it appears he spend 24-25 days in jail for the purchase of an illegal boat or something.

He does appear on the list, and he spent a month in jail (extreme minimum security I might add) for having bought a liscence to drive a big boat without having taken the exam.

[naut]

My mistake, so he does.

[HoreTore]

He does appear on the list, and he spent a month in jail (extreme minimum security I might add) for having bought a liscence to drive a big boat without having taken the exam.

Corruption and bribery of a public official, as it is more commonly known...

@CountArach, they have unfortunately, and those who have won't even appear on the list...