Tax statistics for companies

Companies

Companies are taxpayers that have received a tax assessment.

Tax assessment

There are three tax assessments: mainland, Svalbard and petroleum tax assessment. If a company has two tax affairs, it will receive two tax assessments. This applies to companies with tax affairs both on the mainland and on Svalbard, and for petroleum companies that have both mainland and petroleum tax assessments.

Petroleum companies

Petroleum companies are companies that participate in the exploration for and extraction of subsea petroleum deposits on the Norwegian continental shelf. These companies are taxed according to the Petroleum Taxation Act.

A petroleum company consists of an onshore district and a shelf district which has mainland and petroleum tax assessment, respectively. In this statistics, the shelf district part of a company will be referred to as a petroleum company, whereas the onshore district is included in companies subject to ordinary taxation.

Hydropower companies

Hydropower companies are companies taxed by the special tax rules for power companies in accordance with sections 18-2 to 18-8 of the Taxation Act.

Aquaculture companies

Aquaculture companies are companies granted aquaculture licences that can be subject to ground rent tax in accordance with chapter 19 of the Taxation Act.

Shipping companies

Shipping companies are companies taxed by the special rules set out in sections 8-10 to 8-20 of the Taxation Act. The special tax scheme is optional for qualifying companies, and those who do not enter the scheme are taxed in accordance with ordinary taxation rules.

Financial companies

Financial companies are companies liable to either financial activity tax on salary according to section 23-2a of the National Insurance Act, or have financial activity tax on surpluses, or both.

Limited companies subject to ordinary taxation

Limited companies subject to ordinary taxation, are companies taxed by ordinary taxation rules in accordance with the Taxation Act. Shipping companies and financial companies taxed by ordinary taxation rules in accordance with the Taxation Act are included, as are companies subject to the Svalbard Taxation Act. A petroleum company consists of an onshore district and a shelf district which has mainland and petroleum tax assessment, respectively. The onshore district of a company is included in companies subject to ordinary taxation, whereas the shelf district is taxed according to the Petroleum Taxation Act.

Net wealth

Net wealth is positive wealth after tax deductions, forms the basis of calculating taxable wealth.

Ordinary income

Ordinary income is taxable income less tax deductions and consists of positive and negative ordinary income. Profits or positive ordinary income forms the basis of calculating assessed income tax, see positive ordinary income.

Positive ordinary income

Companies pay tax on profits, positive ordinary income, and forms the basis of calculating assessed income tax.

Positive ordinary income for shipping companies:

Shipping companies are exempt from tax on ordinary income. However, the ordinary income is taxed through the distribution of dividends to shareholders. In addition, positive net financial income and other taxable income are subject to tax.

Special tax base

Special tax base forms the basis of calculating special tax, ground rent tax, for petroleum companies, see section 5 of the Petroleum Taxation Act.

Ground rent income for aquaculture companies

Ground rent income for aquaculture companies forms the basis of calculating ground rent tax, see chapter 19 of the Taxation Act.

Ground rent income for hydropower companies

Ground rent income for hydropower companies forms the basis of calculating ground rent tax, see section 18-3 of the Taxation Act.

Resource rent tax base

Resource rent tax base forms the basis of calculating resource rent tax, see section 18-2 of the Taxation Act.

Income tax

Income tax is assessed to the state calculated on the basis of positive ordinary income and tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget). All companies are subject to income tax.

Income tax continental shelf

Income tax continental shelf is calculated on the basis of positive ordinary income from petroleum companies, and tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).

Financial activity tax on surplus

Income tax for financial companies is calculated on the basis of positive ordinary income. The tax rate is decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) and is added to the tax rate for ordinary income tax.

Financial activity tax on salary

Financial companies are liable to financial activity tax assessed on the basis of the enterprise's total salary expenses and the tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).

Tonnage tax

Tonnage tax at a tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), applies to shipping companies according to section 8-16 of the Taxation Act.

Ground rent tax

Ground rent tax is paid on the extra profits a company can make from exploiting a common natural resource that belongs to the common good.

Special tax

Special tax is a ground rent tax liable to petroleum companies calculated on the basis of special tax base and the tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), see section 5 of the Petroleum Taxation Act.

Ground rent tax for aquaculture companies

Ground rent tax for aquaculture companies is calculated on the basis of ground rent income and the tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), see chapter 19 of the Taxation Act. Ground rent tax is deducted from the production tax determined in accordance with the Excise Tax Act.

Ground rent tax for hydropower companies

Ground rent tax for hydropower companies is calculated on the basis of ground rent income and the tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), see section 18-3 of the Taxation Act.

Resource rent tax

Resource rent tax for hydropower companies is calculated on the basis of ground rent income for resource rent tax and it is assessed by municipalities and counties, see section 18-2 of the Taxation Act.

Wealth tax

Wealth tax is assessed to the state on the basis of taxable wealth and tax rate decided by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget). Certain groups of companies are exempt from wealth tax in accordance with section 2-36 part 1 of the Taxation Act.

Tax before deductions

Tax before deductions is the sum of tax before deductions to calculate the total assessed tax.

Total tax deduction

Total tax deduction is the sum of all tax deductions to calculate the total assessed tax.

Paid tax value of special tax of deficit for the current year

As a result of the shift of special tax into a cash flow tax, companies will receive payment of the special tax value of deficit with the tax assessment.

Deduction for tax paid abroad

Deduction for tax paid abroad is a tax deduction that can be claimed, according to the rules in sections 16-20 and 16-30 of the Taxation Act.

Tax deduction for research and development expenses

A deduction for expenses on research and development projects according to section 16-40 of the Taxation Act. If the calculated deduction exceeds the total assessed tax, the excess shall be paid to the company.

Tax deduction for resource rent tax

Companies may claim tax deduction for tax on natural resources from the income tax assessed by the Norwegian Tax Administration. If the tax on natural resources exceeds the income tax for the income year, the excess may be carried forward as a tax deduction in later years.

Total assessed tax

Total assessed tax to the state is tax before deductions less total tax deduction.

Negative total assessed tax

A company has a negative total assessed tax if the total deduction exceeds tax before deductions. This means that the company will receive a tax return.

Number of limited companies

The number of limited companies are the total number of limited companies included in a table.

Number of taxpayers

The number of taxpayers are companies that have tax before deductions, which is included in a table.

Number of taxpayers with net wealth

The number of taxpayers with net wealth are companies that have a positive amount in wealth tax, which is included in a table.

The industrial classification is based on the EU-standard of NACE Rev. 2.

A company with businesses in several industries is assigned in its entirety to the industry in which the business contributes the most to its overall added value participates.

Name: Tax statistics for companies
Topic: Establishments, enterprises and accounts

Division for Accounting Statistics and Business Register

National level and the Norwegian continental shelf.

Annual

Data are obtained after ordinary assessment, i.e. 10 months following the fiscal year covered. The statistics are published 2 months later.

Not relevant

Collected and revised data are stored securely by Statistics Norway in compliance with applicable legislation on data processing.

Statistics Norway can grant access to the source data (de-identified or anonymised microdata) on which the statistics are based, for researchers and public authorities for the purposes of preparing statistical results and analyses. Access can be granted upon application and subject to conditions. Refer to the details about this at Access to data from Statistics Norway.

The purpose of the statistics is to present taxable income and taxable wealth, tax before deductions, tax deduction and total assessed taxes for companies as a whole and companies broken down by industry.

Statistics Norway has compiled annual statistics on municipal tax assessment since 1884, and the central government tax assessment since 1936. The statistics have been presented in the present form annually since 1976. Considerable changes were made in tax rules in connection with the 1992 tax reforms. Changes in tax rules must be taken into consideration when the statistics on assessed taxes are compared over time. Several tax regulations for non-personal taxpayers have also been changed and implemented. The regulations on site-specific taxation, among other things, were abolished as from the income year 1998.

The purpose of the tax statistics for oil companies is to show the extent to which the taxations rules of the Petroleum Taxation Act are applied, and their effect. The statistics have been published annually since 1985.

As from 2018, foreign oil service companies are included in limited companies subject to ordinary taxation and are not considered as petroleum companies.

The purpose of the tax statistics for electric power stations is to show the extent to which the rules are applied, and their effect. Statistics Norway has prepared Tax Statistics for Electric Power Stations annually since the fiscal year 1997, when the new rules for the taxation of electric power stations were introduced, replacing the earlier provisions covering percentage income and property tax for electric utilities.

The tax statistics for shipping companies was established as of income year 1996, when special tax rules for shipping companies were introduced as set out in sections 8-10 to 8-20 of the Taxation Act. The statistics show to what extent the optional rules for shipping companies are used and the effect of the special rules. The special tax scheme is optional for qualifying companies, and those who do not enter the scheme are taxed in accordance with ordinary taxation rules.

In 2007, tax statistics for non-personal taxpayers, tax statistics for electric power companies, tax statistics for petroleum companies and tax statistics for shipping companies were combined into one statistics, Tax statistics for companies.

As from 2017, companies that pay financial tax are identified as companies within a specific tax regime and are not considered as limited companies subject to ordinary taxation.

Aquaculture companies granted aquaculture licences are subject to ground rent tax in accordance with chapter 19 of the Taxation Act as of income year 2023.

Major users are the Ministry of Finance, internal and external research community, and the media. The statistics are used to elucidate the consequences of changes in taxation rules and the effects of tax revenues. Additionally, the statistics are used in general tax research. The results from the statistics are used in Statistics Norway's National accounts and Norway's National budget.

No external users have access to statistics before they are released at 8 a.m. on ssb.no after at least three months’ advance notice in the release calendar. This is one of the most important principles in Statistics Norway for ensuring the equal treatment of users.

Some of the figures from the Tax Statistics for companies are included in Income and deductions for companies.

The enterprises covered by the statistics Accounting statistics for non-financial limited companies are also covered by Tax Statistics for companies. However, the accounts statistics include the income statement and balance sheet, which are not included in the Tax statistics for companies.

The statistics are developed, produced and disseminated pursuant to Act no. 32 of 21 June 2019 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway (the Statistics Act).

Not relevant

The statistics cover all companies that receive a tax assessment. The statistics include mainly limited companies, but associations, co-operatives, branches of foreign companies, institutions, mutual funds, building co-operatives, savings banks etc. are covered too.

The tax statistics for companies is based on information from tax assessment of Non-Personal Taxpayers delivered by the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Information about industry, among other things, is obtained from Statistics Norway's Business Register (BoF).

Data about the financial activity tax on salary is collected from the A-ordning.

Ground rent income for aquaculture companies is calculated based on data collected from the tax return delivered by the Norwegian Tax Administration.

The tax statistics for companies is a total census.

Data collection

Statistics Norway obtains data from tax assessment of Non-Personal Taxpayers after the taxes have been calculated delivered via API from the Norwegian Tax Administration's modernized tax settlement (SIRIUS). In principle, the data are obtained before any complaints and changes are made. Such cases can take a long time to resolve, and for actuality reasons, the data are obtained after ordinary assessment. The data is collected in November the year following the income year covered.

Once the data have been collected via API, checked and corrected, they are linked to information about industry, among other things, from Statistics Norway's Business Register (BoF).

Information about the financial activity tax on salary is collected from the a-ordning.

Ground rent income for aquaculture companies is calculated based on data collected from the tax return delived via API from the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Editing

Editing is defined here as checking, examining and amending data.

The Norwegian Tax Administration and Statistics Norway carry out a number of checks to ensure that the information is correctly recorded.

The Norwegian Tax Administration registers the basis for tax assessment based on the tax return submitted via an accounting system or annual accounts program.

Statistics Norway's revision ensures that there is correspondence between the assessable values and the total assessed taxes, and that the information is consistent with other available statistics.

Estimations

The statistics are estimated by counting all units with a certain characteristic, e.g. the number of taxpayers, and by adding up a certain characteristic for all units in the statistics, e.g. income tax.

Not relevant

Employees of Statistics Norway have a duty of confidentiality.

Statistics Norway does not publish figures if there is a risk of the respondent’s contribution being identified. This means that, as a general rule, figures are not published if fewer than three units form the basis of a cell in a table or if the contribution of one or two respondents constitutes a very large part of the cell total.

Statistics Norway can make exceptions to the general rule if deemed necessary to meet the requirements of the EEA agreement, if the respondent is a public authority, if the respondent has consented to this, or when the information disclosed is openly accessible to the public.

More information can be found on Statistics Norway’s website under Methods in official statistics, in the ‘Confidentiality’ section.

To ensure confidentiality, the suppression method is used in these statistics.

The total figures in the statistics are comparable back to 1976. In connection with the 1992 Tax Reform, significant changes were made in taxation rules. Other changes, in addition the Tax Reform, have also been made. For example, new rules for shipping companies were introduced in 1996. In 1997, new rules were introduced for the taxation of electric power stations. And in 1998, the provisions regarding site-specific taxation were abolished. The changes that the tax system has undergone over the years are reflected in the tax data, and affect the continuity of the time series. The changes in taxation rules must therefore be taken into consideration when the data are compared over time. When comparing the figures from various years, changes in industrial rankings and structural changes in different industries can also affect the figures.

The introduction of a new Tax Administration Act from the income year 2017 has led to a change in the Register of Non-Personal Taxpayers treatment of tax on natural resources. Tax on natural resources is paid to the municipalities and counties where the power plant is located, however from the income year 2017, it is entered to the company’s accounting municipality in the Register of Non-Personal Taxpayers. This has led to a significant decrease in the number of observations.

As from 2017, companies that pay financial tax are identified as companies within a specific tax regime and are not considered companies.

As from 2018, foreign oil service companies are included in limited companies subject to ordinary taxation and are not considered as petroleum companies.

Aquaculture companies granted aquaculture licences are subject to ground rent tax in accordance with chapter 19 of the Taxation Act as of income year 2023.

In 2023 The Norwegian Tax Administration switched to a new tax return where the previous RF forms are replaced by a Tax return and The business information. All companies must submit the new tax return via an accounting system or annual accounts program.

Due to the new tax return, Tax statistics for companies are published in a new time series.

As a result, the tables cannot be compared with the table that are available in the closed time series in Statbank, among other things because the population has changed.

When filling in the tax forms, the taxpayer can make errors. Errors can also occur when the data are being registered and processed at the Norwegian Tax Administration and Statistics Norway. Amounts that are not used in the assessment of taxes, like negative income (losses), are, compared with tax bases, encumbered with greater uncertainty. The examination of the data is mainly concentrated on significant errors having a large impact on the total amounts. As a result, less significant errors, which have no impact on the total amounts, may not be corrected.

The Norwegian Tax Administration's Register of Non-Personal Taxpayers is continually updated. Due to complaints and requests for changes lodged with The Norwegian Tax Administration after ordinary assessment, changes will occur in the Register of Non-Personal Taxpayers after Statistics Norway has obtained data via API. Such changes are not taken into consideration when the tax statistics for companies are published.

Organisation number is used as the key when information from the Statistics Norway's Business Register (BoF), the a-ordning and the tax return delivered by the Norwegian Tax Administration is being linked. Therefore, if taxpayers are registered with incorrect organisation number, the linked information will not be correct.

Not relevant