Professor Einar Øverbye has considered the long-term effect of several economic changes in Norway over recent years. He has detected an increasing emergence of economic and social differences between people.
Klassekampen newspaper referred to an article in the Journal of Welfare Research, in which Øverbye considers changes he believes will lead to greater inequality in terms of reduced wealth for many. He also considered corporate taxation, and settlement of inheritance tax.
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However, the one-off increase of the minimum pension in 2015 drew an opposite conclusion.
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‘There’s been increasing inequality under the Solberg government, as was the case during Stoltenberg’s last government.
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It’s too early to determine whether the changes under Solberg are due to political decisions, but we can say quite conclusively that the long-term consequence of the policies of the present government will be increased inequality’, said the professor at Oslo and Akershus University College.
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Income and property probabilities are affected by conditions that are partly beyond the control of politicians, such as immigration, and economic cycles.
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However, Øverbye has taken on four sets of reforms: tax, disability and social security systems, working environment regulations and changes in retirement and child allowance.
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He says that, ‘the settlement of inheritance taxation, and the reduction in wealth and corporate taxation are the changes that will have the greatest impact in the long term.’
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
