In 2022, more than 30 Norwegian billionaires and millionaires will leave Norway, more than the total number of wealthy people who have left Norway in the past 13 years – writes the Guardian. This year, more people are expected to leave because of last year’s property tax increase, which caused the Norwegian state to lose tens of millions of tax revenues.
In November 2022, the center-left Norwegian government raised the wealth tax to 1.1%,
Because of this, many people have moved to Switzerland, where taxes are much lower. Many people choose the Italian-speaking city of Lugano, which is close to their favorite place of residence, Lake Como and Milan, the fashion capital.
The newspaper also gives an example in the person of Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Roque, who was convicted of corruption in 2005 and is the fourth richest Norwegian.
The 64-year-old Rocky has an estimated net worth of around NOK 19.6 billion (HUF 640 billion). Businessman He put it that way in his open letter: “I chose Lugano as my new place of residence. It is not the cheapest place in Switzerland, and it does not have the slightest taxes either, but it is a wonderful place in the middle of Europe. “
With Røkke gone, Norway would lose about 175 million kroner (approximately 6 billion HUF) in tax revenue each year. Last year, Røkke was the highest-paid individual in the country, having paid around 1.5 billion kroner (50 billion forints) in taxes since 2008.
Tord Ueland Kolstad, an investor with a fortune of about 1.5 billion crowns, has moved to Lucerne, Switzerland. Since then, many Norwegians have followed his example, said Kolstad, who also notes that when he first came to Switzerland, he had no friends there.
The Norwegian government hopes that eventually wealthy Norwegians will return. “According to the Norwegian model, everyone has to contribute to state expenditures according to their means, and therefore those with a higher ability to pay taxes have to pay a little more,” said Erlind Grimstad, State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. .
