In Norway, too, wealth tax is at the heart of the debate
As Norwegians vote on Monday, September 8, to renew their parliament, the country has been divided during the campaign over whether to keep or abolish the wealth tax. Paid by a small minority of taxpayers, it is seen by its critics as an obstacle to economic development.
In one of the last European countries where it still exists (along with Spain and Switzerland), the wealth tax (ISF) sparked heated debate during the Norwegian election campaign. To the point of “taking up too much space, at the expense of other issues, such as education or health,” lamented Verdens Gang , the kingdom's most widely read daily, on the eve of the legislative elections on Monday, September 8.
Should this tax be maintained in the name of a certain idea of social justice? This is what the Labour Party of outgoing Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store wants. A party that almost doubled this tax upon its return to power in the previous legislative elections (in 2021). On the right, on the other hand, they want to abolish it. Either entirely (like the populist and anti-immigration Progress Party), or only the part relating to shares, machinery and buildings (the conservative, liberal and Christian Popular parties), summarizes the daily Finansavisen .
The tone hardened during the election campaign. One of the billionaires affected by the wealth tax, Roger Hofseth, described Labour officials as “extremists” in the business daily Dagens Naeringsliv , before apologizing. In her office, the leader of the Left Socialists, potential allies of
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