Each persons income and tax in the public domain?

Well, like I say, it's up to the government to get their arses in gear to close the clever tax dodges a good accountant will come up with. And I mean tax avoidance, not evasion.

Is everyone's income really in the public domain, in Norway? How does that work?

What about private investments where income varies from one month to the next? Who keeps it update?

d

End or year tax return?

*jinglbellsfrocks* this is from a US site try to find more detail.

This probably tells more

Sounds good to me - but I know I will be in a very small minority.

Maybe its a British thing but talking about money or our individual incomes seems such a social no no. My SA SiL was surprised when he arrived to find that people didn't talk about how much they earn or how much their house cost etc. I can see that publishing individual incomes would be anathema to most of us. In the end the very wealthy will always be able to buy their way out of heavy taxation. Its the squeezed middle who'll end up paying for everybody as usual. Sigh.

Yes jane exactly

Why do Norwegians accept it, but it's obviously not popular in the UK? Are Norwegians somehow different?

By the way, anybody is very welcome to scrutinise my tax return and find out how much I pay. It won't take them long!

Oh yes. Tax return.

I know nothing about it. [shrug]

Gracesgran, that is diabolical!!! Why do they do that?!

Do what Jbf?

Sorry! What do you mean, jinglebells?

I complete a tax return, because HMRC demands one from me, as my income is mainly from self-employment, but also from a tiny pension. If I didn't complete it, I'd be fined, even though I haven't owed any tax for the last three years. For me, it's a farce, but still takes me hours and I have to keep all my paperwork accurately.

Publish everybody's income! Yes. I can see it's to show how much tax everyone pays. But still....!

I don't mean why does anyone do a tax return. I know why that is. Not that I've done one.

Well, I would personally have gained financially if there were more income transparency. My ex claimed that he had NO income and refused to pay me any maintenance for our children after we divorced. He got away with it for fifteen years. I knew very well that he did have an income, because he was able to afford a mortgage, buy and run a car, go on frequent holidays, go out for meals etc etc apart from all the normal bills.

I think I know where his money was squirrelled away, but I could never prove it. HMRC and the CSA wouldn't investigate, because I couldn't hand them any proof and they refused to investigate the person who was, in effect, 'keeping' my ex, claiming it was a confidentiality issue. If I had been able to produce more evidence, maybe the CSA would have done something. The only people who didn't believe him were the council when he tried to claim that he shouldn't pay council tax. He had to go to some kind of hearing, where he was apparently asked to show how he managed to pay his bills. At that stage he backed off, but HMRC and the CSA just took his word for it.

I still don't understand why Norwegians are different.

They voted to do it a long time ago Jbf. I imagine once you get used to it there isn't a problem. The first generation would find it awkward but after that I would have thought it would become the norm.

I think what Gracesgran is suggesting is a complete redesign of the tax and benefits system.
It's not just Norway - Denmark is similar, and they are two of the happiest countries in the world, so it must mean something.

If you want to make a difference, you could start by making sure you buy anything possible from companies that have the Fair Tax mark.

www.fairtaxmark.net/

www.fairtaxmark.net/criteria/

I was quite surprised that the income tax lists in Norway were published as early as the 1860s - of course, in those days, they weren't online. so much more difficult to access. I was even more surprised to discover that there were no state taxes in the period 1836-1892. The state got its revenue from customs and excise duties.

So the lists weren't used for transparency and checking that your neighbour wasn't dodging taxes. I'm not quite sure what the rationale was, apart from trying to keep incomes fair.

I wonder how much the ethos of transparency and high welfare spending have to do with Norway having high levels of well-being or whether the fact that the people are generally happy means that they can afford to be open and caring.

Just listening to the discussions re Cameron and off-shore accounts. Surely peoples declared tax and income being in the public forum would stop the out-cry over what may have happened.

Ah! The 1860s. That's it. It's simply a "can't be arsed to change anything thing".

Gracesgran Surely the point in off-shore accounts is keeping it secret. The publishers of the lists wouldn't have known about it.

I think that the wealthy see all their money as their own whereas the government treats our 20% as its own and we don't get a say. In fact much of the money stashed in fact belongs to us.

Too many facts!!!

If you can afford an accountant you will pay less tax than PAYE workers