Slower rate of growth in tax revenues

Taxes paid in 1998 totalled nearly NOK 288 billion, up NOK 11.8 billion or 4.3 per cent from the year before.

The huge decline in tax revenues from the petroleum sector is the main factor in the slower rate of growth in tax revenues in 1998 compared to 1996 and 1997. Total tax revenues, excluding oil taxes, nevertheless grew 11.1 per cent or by NOK 26.8 billion.

Total tax revenues broken down by county show that tax revenues grew 13.9 per cent in Oslo, followed by 12 per cent in Rogaland and 11.5 per cent in both Telemark and Hordaland. Sogn og Fjordane and Vest-Agder reported the slowest growth, at 7.3 per cent, followed by Finnmark with 7.6 per cent.

Prepaid and corporate income taxes

The prepayment system, which includes advance and withholding taxes and accounts for 84 per cent of total tax revenues, grew 10 per cent or NOK 21.9 billion in 1998. Of this, equalization taxes paid to the central government accounted for the largest increase. Equalization taxes increased nominally by NOK 9.6 billion or 25.3 per cent. The corporate income tax system shows an overall decline of 17.5 per cent, while corporate income taxes excluding petroleum taxes grew 22 per cent. The 41 per cent reduction in ordinary petroleum taxes and 44 per cent drop in special petroleum taxes explain the decline in corporate income taxes and overall decrease in the growth of tax revenues. Tax revenues grew 4.3 per cent in 1998, while 1996 and 1997 saw increases of 10.5 and 13.2 per cent respectively.

New Statistics
Tax accounts statistics, January-December 1998.
The statistics are published monthly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. Main aggregates are available in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics on the Internet. Tax revenue data from the individual municipalities are published in the electronic edition of the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics on the Web service, and in the Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) series Regional Statistics. For more information contact: Tove.Brynildsen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 72 or Hjordis.Eeg-Henriksen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 45 30.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 4, 1999