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FRAUD

Tax agency staff set to face fraud charges

An administrator at the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) and three other people are expected to be charged for their involvement in a fraud scandal.

Tax agency staff set to face fraud charges

According to chamber prosecutor Ove Lundgren, the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten) estimates the case involves at least 120 million kronor ($16.89 million).

“It involved that much money,” he told news agency TT on Tuesday.

Three of the suspects have been detained for some time on suspicion of aggravated tax evasion.

Lundgren declined to comment on what the suspects have done or what specific charges he plans to file. According to information from earlier this year, it may involve VAT fraud.

The 42-year-old administrator at the agency has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated fraud and serious breach of trust.

Two other men aged 35 and 37 were detained for aggravated fraud. A fourth person is a suspect in the scandal, but is not currently in custody.

At the end of last year, the agency discovered the scandal when someone responded to a suspicious transaction. When the agency went into its system, it found more suspicious transactions.

In January, an administrator at the agency was reported to the police and later arrested. Two other men were charged in absentia on suspicion of aggravated fraud.

Both have since surrendered and are currently in custody.

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TAXES

Beskæftigelsesfradraget: What is Denmark’s employment allowance?

Denmark's government may soon announce changes to its tax reform plans, which will give all wage earners a bigger employment allowance. What is this and how will it affect foreigners' earnings?

Beskæftigelsesfradraget: What is Denmark's employment allowance?

What is the employment allowance? 

The Beskæftigelsesfradraget (from beskæftigelse, meaning employment, and fradrag, meaning rebate) was brought in by the centre-right Liberal Party back in 2004, the idea being that it would incentivise people to get off welfare and into a job.

Everyone whose employer pays Denmark’s 8 percent AM-bidrag, or arbejdsmarkedsbidrag, automatically receives beskæftigelsesfradraget. Unlike with some of Denmark’s tax rebates, there is no need to apply. The Danish Tax Agency simply exempts the first portion of your earnings from income taxes. 

In 2022, beskæftigelsesfradraget was set at 10.65 percent of income with a maximum rebate of 44,800 kroner. 

How did the government agree to change the employment allowance in its coalition deal? 

In Responsibility for Denmark, the coalition agreement between the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Moderate Party, the new government said it would set aside 5 billion kroner for tax reforms.

Of this, 4 billion kroner was earmarked for increasing the employment allowance, with a further 0.3 billion going towards increasing an additional employment allowance for single parents.

According to the public broadcaster DR, the expectation was that this would increase the standard employment  allowance to 12.75 percent up to a maximum rebate of 53,600 kroner. 

How might this be further increased, according to Børsen? 

According to a report in the Børsen newspaper, the government now plans to set aside a further 1.75 billion kroner for tax reforms, of which nearly half — about 800 million kroner — will go towards a further increase to the employment allowance. 

The Danish Chamber of Commerce earlier this month released an analysis in which it argued that by raising removing all limits on the rebate for single parents and raising the maximum rebate for everone else by 20,300 kroner, the government could increase the labour supply by 4,850 people, more than double the 1,500 envisaged in the government agreement. 

According to the Børsen, the government estimates that its new extended allowance will increase the labour supply by 5,150 people.  

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