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Tax agency warns of last gasp declaration delays

The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) has warned that many of those seeking to file online tax returns could suffer problems as its website struggles to cope with the last minute rush.

Published: 2 May 2011 16:34 CEST

Tax agency warns of last gasp declaration delays

Monday is deadline day for the filing of Swedish tax returns and many elect to use the option to declare online. The agency website has however once again proved ill-equipped to deal with the large number of people out in the eleventh hour.

“There are many who have waited to declare and it means more pressure on our electronic services. If you are logged out, we hope you exercise patience and have another try,” a statement on the agency’s website on Monday read.

The agency expects that a record number of Swedes will elect to use the online option to file their taxes in 2011.

With the deadline set to fall at midnight on Monday, it is forecast that 4.6-4.7 million people (of a total adult population of around 7.5 million) will use the internet to register their taxes.

Last year some 4.35 million people filed their taxes electronically.

A new innovation this year has been the option to declare using an application for the iPhone and Android.

The Tax Agency has increased its online capacity after problems in 2010, but remains uncertain that the system will cope and has issued several statements urging Swedes to avoid the last minute rush.

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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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