Tax Administration fears NOK 40 billion evaded

Skatt-ØstIllustration.Skatt-Øst. Photo: Norway Today Media

The Tax Administration has doubled its efforts to combat workplace crime.

They suspect that as much as NOK 40 billion could be concealed in recent years.

– Our preliminary analysis shows that the scale of evasion as a result of tax related workplace crimes can be around NOK 40 billion from 2011 to 2015, says Tax Director Hans Christian Holte in a press release.

The Tax Administration uncovered NOK 300 million in tax evasion within workplace related crime in 2016.

– The magnitude shows that it is still necessary to work actively to combat workplace crime.

We must work with both the prevention and control, said Holte. From 2015 to 2016 the agency nearly doubled the number of working man-hours to combat this type of crime.

The Police, Tax Authorities, Labor Inspection, Nav and other government agencies have recently strengthened their efforts against workplace crime, NRK writes.

In recent years, much of the effort has been directed towards parts of the construction industry. Holte says the likelihood of crime goes down where there have been established the most resources.

– The offensive actions that we now see the Tax Authorities taking are because we take this matter seriously, says Minister of Finance Siv Jensen.

– It should be easy to operate legally in Norway, but it will be much harder to sneak away from paying taxes, continues Jensen.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today