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TAXES

Many Swedes to face higher tax bills in 2013

Almost half of all Swedes will pay more in tax next year as municipalities across the country raise the taxes levied on residents.

Published: 14 December 2012 13:53 CET
Many Swedes to face higher tax bills in 2013

Eighty-nine of Sweden’s 290 municipalities are increasing taxes, while as many as eight county councils plan on doing the same, shows a review from Statistics Sweden (SCB).

Municipal taxes will go from a national average of 31.60 to 31.73 percent, although seven municipalities and four county councils are actually lowering taxes.

About 12 percent of Swedes will see lower taxes, while 44 will see them go up. That leaves another 44 percent hovering at the same level as 2012.

Habo, Lindesberg and Dorotea municipalities are in for the heftiest raise, all around the 1 percentage point mark.

Österåker and Norrtälje residents, meanwhile, are in for the biggest decrease at 0.25 and 0.20 percentage points respectively.

Yet, despite number crunching at the municipal level, observers note that it is the county councils that could cause the biggest fluctuations, as their budgets have to cover health care services.

”We were expecting this. County councils have a hard time fighting rising costs, especially within healthcare”, Annika Wallenskog, chief financial analyst at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting, SKL) told the TT news agency.

She cited predictions of layoffs and unemployment as a burden at a time when many municipalities also need to make a significant number of investments.

”Sweden has one of Europe’s highest urbanization rates, which means we have to redesign hospitals and schools,” she said.

“Furthermore, a lot of our housing stock is from the 1970s and will soon need to be renovated.”

TT/The Local/at

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MONEY

How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Sweden's tax agency, Skatteverket, warns of an increase in scams when it's time for Swedish tax-payers to declare their taxes.

Published: 12 March 2024 13:40 CET
How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Anyone who earned more than 22,208 kronor last year received their tax returns digitally last week, marking the start of tax season.

That also means an expected peak in tax-related scams, Skatteverket warns.

Most of the scams are so-called phishing scams, meaning attempts to steal the victims’ personal information. Fraudsters may for example email a person, pretending to represent Skatteverket, and ask them for, among other things, their banking details.

“We’re seeing these in all channels. They use fake emails, SMS, letters and in some cases even phone calls. It is particularly common in tax declaration times – just when we’re about to send out the tax returns, the e-service opens and it’s possible to declare – but above all when it’s time for tax rebates,” Jan Janowski, a Skatteverket expert, told Swedish news agency TT.

A scam email might for example state that you’re entitled to a tax rebate and that you should click a link to receive it. Don’t click any links, open any attachments or reply to the message. Skatteverket advises that you immediately delete the email or text message.

Another common scam is that you receive a text message claiming to be from Skatteverket, telling you that you owe them money and you need to log in to calculate the amount. The website you’re urged to log in via does not belong to Skatteverket. Don’t click the link.

The agency stresses that it never asks people for their banking details. The exception is that you may be asked for your bank account information if you log into Skatteverket’s website to declare your taxes, but that always first requires you to log into the site.

To receive your tax rebate, you need to inform Skatteverket of your bank account number. You do this not by clicking a link in an email or SMS, but by logging into their website using a digital ID, for example BankID, and submitting your details. Only do this on your own initiative. If someone calls you and asks you to log in with your BankID during the phone call, don’t do it. That’s another common scam.

Skatteverket will also never call you to ask for your bank account or credit card number.

It will be possible to declare your taxes from March 19th. You’ll receive any tax rebate you’re owed by mid-April or early June, depending on when you submit your tax return. These are the dates when fraudsters are likely to attempt the most scams.

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