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What changes could Norway’s new government make to taxes? 

A new Norwegian government is on its way, but will it mean a higher or lower tax bill for residents?

What changes could Norway's new government make to taxes? 
Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre is currently negotiating with the leaders of the Socialist Left Party and Centre Party. Photo by Arbeiderpartiet on Flickr

Victorious opposition parties are in the process of thrashing out the early details of Norway’s next coalition government. 

During these negotiations, the parties will have to compromise and broker deals and agreements to secure the coalition that works best for them.

But how will all this affect your tax bill over the next five years? 

The three parties currently expected to form a coalition all made pre-election promises to cut taxes for those on low and middle incomes. Labour, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party are the most likely coalition outcome at the time of writing.

Each of the parties has slightly different visions for achieving promised tax cuts. Generally though, they are all pulling in the same direction, so it will be relatively easy to implement the changes to tax without the need for drawn-out negotiations.

Residents of Norway pay an income tax of 22 percent, in addition to a bracket tax that is calculated based on your income. For example, those who earn between 260,100-651,250 kroner per year will pay a bracket tax of four percent. The bracket tax can be as high as 16.2 percent for high earners. You can read more about tax brackets in Norway here

Labour wants to cut income tax for everybody with a yearly salary of less than 750,000 kroner per year and increase it for those on higher wages. Labour says these cuts would mean more money in the pockets for 80 percent of Norway’s workforce. 

Analysis: How the 2021 general election result could change Norway

The Centre Party wants to cut income taxes for those earning low to middling salaries. In addition, the party also intends to rejig Norway’s flat tax rate, which it believes hits families on low incomes the hardest. 

Then, finally, there’s the Socialist Left Party which, much like the parties it could join in government, has said it would cut taxes for those on lower incomes and raise taxes for people taking home the biggest paychecks.

However, as we’re sure you are all aware, income tax isn’t the only taxation around, so what are the party’s policies regarding other levies? 

Labour Party 

Pensioners are also set to shave money off their tax bills to the tune of around 2,500 kroner per year. In addition, the party says it would keep corporation tax at 22 percent and increase Norway’s controversial working capital, or wealth tax. 

The wealth tax is levied against a person’s assets, with heavy discounts on a person’s main point of residence, for example. You can read more about Norway’s wealth tax here

Furthermore, Labour will not reintroduce inheritance tax. 

In terms of taxes to protect the environment, the Labour party has pledged to increase CO2 taxes until 2030 gradually. However, the party states motorists will be protected against climate levies.

READ ALSO: What the election win for Norway’s left wing coalition could mean for foreign residents

Centre Party 

Like Labour, the Centre Party supports maintaining the wealth tax. However, the Centre Party is against a national property tax. Municipalities currently decide whether to implement the charge. 

The party also wants lower taxes for businesses in rural areas and sectors such as tourism, transport and culture. 

For people who get involved in their local communities, the Centre Party has proposed tax deductions for those who fund grassroots organisations. 

Norwegian election: What foreign residents should know about the Centre Party’s election promises

Socialist Left Party 

The Socialist Left Party’s other tax policies are probably the ones most at odds with their potential coalition partners. 

Inheritance tax, which the other parties are opposed to reintroducing, could be brought back into the fold if the party has its wishes granted. Further, the party wants to increase wealth tax and slash the discount for shares and equity when calculating that charge. 

It also back a hike on climate taxes with deductibles in place for those on lower incomes. 

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TAXES

Taxes: Everything you need to know about Norway’s commuter deductions

Norway has a tax deduction that those who commute to work can claim. However, it must be added manually to tax returns, meaning many miss out. 

Taxes: Everything you need to know about Norway's commuter deductions

There are plenty of advantages to commuting to and from work, whether it be cheaper rent or property prices, being closer to nature, or being able to live closer to your children’s school. 

The obvious downside, apart from making the journey, is the cost. Thankfully, commuters in Norway can claim some of this cost back as a tax deduction. 

Furthermore, you can change tax returns up to three years after they have been submitted. If you have missed out on a deduction, you can log into the Norwegian Tax Administration portal and update the information. 

READ ALSO: Five things to do when you get your Norwegian tax return

Norway’s commuter deductions cover several categories. Firstly, those who spend nights away from home can claim additional expenses such as food and accommodation, you can also make deductions for travel between work and home. 

The Norwegian Tax Administration has a wizard on its website which tells workers whether they are classified as commuters and, therefore, eligible for deductions on its website. 

As a technical point, you can be ineligible for a commuter deduction, but you can also deduct daily travel to and from work. 

Those who travel round trips of more than 37 kilometres between work and home are eligible for the travel deduction. This deduction is calculated based on several factors, such as the length of the journey, whether toll roads and ferries significantly reduce the journey time, and the number of days of the year you work. 

The traveller’s deduction can be claimed for up to 230 days of the year. The low threshold for roundtrips means that journeys between Oslo and nearby towns such as Ski or Lillestrøm become tax deductible.

For example, if you commute 45 kilometres per day for 230 days of the year, you could deduct as much as 702 kroner from your taxes. 

Those who commute up to 100 kilometres per day and don’t use toll roads or ferries to shorten their journeys could deduct around 5,000 kroner from their taxes. 

This is based on the rules for 2023 and commutes from Oslo to nearby towns and cities. The Norwegian Tax Administration has a calculator on its website that can tell you how much you can deduct for your daily travel

If you want to try and add deductions for previous years, be aware that the thresholds for journey length were previously higher. The minimum distance for previous years was a daily round trip of 67 kilometres. 

Under these rules, travel between Oslo and some surrounding towns may not be deductible. Still, you can log in and check whether you can add deductions for previous years. 

How to add these to your tax return

When checking your tax return, you can choose to add information.

There is a section marked “Would you like to provide any other information?”. From there, if you go to the bottom of the list, there should be an option for “work and travel” (when using the English version of the portal). 

From there, you can input your information, making the process relatively straightforward. 

Below you can see some pictures on where to add any travel deductions. 

Pictured is a form from the Norwegian Tax Administration.

You can add the deductions under work/ travel. Photo: Screenshot / The Local.
 
Pictured is the commuter deduction form.

Those who travel for work, or to get to work have a number of potential deductions. Photo: Screenshot / The Local
 
The travel deduction form.

Here you can see where you input your daily travel information. Photo: The Screenshot / The Local.
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