When the storm surrounding former Storting President Eva Kristin Hansen (Ap) was in full swing, Høgre deputy leader Henrik Asheim asked her to “put all cards on the table”. When former Ap deputy head Hadia Tajik was under pressure, Asheim encouraged her to “shed light on the matter in the best possible way” and to show “the greatest possible openness”. Now, when his own deputy head colleague Tina Bru has been notified of tax fraud, there are many answers the public sector does not get. Tax-free commuter accommodation From 2018 to 2021, Tina Bru rented a one-bedroom apartment from her parents in Stavanger. Tina Bru, her husband and their child, as well as Tina Bru’s parents were registered here. Tina Bru is deputy leader of Høgre and deputy leader of the finance committee at the Storting. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen Bru has previously told news that she paid rent and had a contract from day one. According to Bru, the parents never offered the flat, but they were allowed to dispose of it by agreement with her. The agreement with her parents gave her the right to tax-free commuter housing in Oslo. According to Bru, the reason for the notice from the Tax Agency is that she did not pay enough rent to her parents. Documentation Bru not showing news has asked to see the entire notification from the Tax Agency, but has only been given access to two half pages. The notice is 27 pages in total. news has asked to find out how much the Tax Agency thinks Bru owes in tax. news has asked to see the lease between Tina Bru and her parents. Bru says she no longer has this. news has asked to see the dialogue between Tina Bru and the Swedish Tax Agency about the notice. news has asked how much Høgre pays in legal fees in connection with this case. Wants to be open Bru wrote in an e-mail to news that she believes parliamentary representatives must be able to exchange information with public authorities without having to share all the details. – Otherwise, we would see a completely new and separate standard for politicians’ legal protection and right to privacy. news has gained access to the parts of the notice that are essential to the case, writes Bru. The senior deputy leader writes that the dialogue she has had with the Tax Agency includes both details about her life, but also her family, who have never sought public information. Bru says she will publish the conclusion from the Tax Agency, when it is ready. – I will be open about the outcome of the case, but as long as it is not concluded, the tax administration authorities and I must be able to have a dialogue without either of us having to litigate an unresolved case in full public view, writes Bru. Berre Høgre pays legal aid The Norwegian Tax Agency has notified politicians of tax penalties in 45 different cases. news has asked all the parties whether they pay for legal aid to their representatives who have received notices against them. Everyone answers no, except Høgre. Tina Bru has on several occasions referred to her lawyer Torbjørn Stokke. He has also defended her case in Dagsnytt 18. Lawyer Torbjørn Stokke defends the senior deputy leader. Photo: news Press manager at Høgre Cato Husabø Fossen confirms that it is Høgre’s parliamentary group that pays. – The right-wing parliamentary group had to seek legal advice in this case, and we will of course pay for that ourselves. We also cover limited assistance to those of our parliamentary representatives who have received notice of a possible change in tax. We feel a responsibility to ensure that our politicians receive assistance both because the cases are complicated, and because they have been checked by the Tax Administration precisely because they are representatives of the Storting. When news asks how much Høgre has paid for legal assistance to Tina Bru, I don’t get an answer. – It’s a private matter. Nestléar in Høgre Henrik Asheim was very clear when it came to storming around the Labor Party politicians. Put your cards on the table and show openness, he said then. Asheim asked both Hadia Tajik (Ap) and Eva Kristin Hansen (Ap) for openness before their cases had been processed. Photo: news Asheim says he thinks there is a big difference in the approach to the cases between Bru and the Labor Party politicians. – Tajik and Hansen did not appear for an interview. Bru had a long interview with the journalists at news and answered all questions, he says to news. – I never meant that Tajik and Hansen should present all their account information. Bru has not kept anything hidden. She has shown openness, he believes. Bru has previously sent news parts of the notice she received. There, the Tax Agency concludes that she fulfills the condition to obtain commuter status. But it is still unknown to news what documentation the Tax Agency has used as a basis for this conclusion. Sneak peek: This is one of two parts news can see from the notice Tina Bru has received from the Tax Agency. Illustration: Eirik Kirkaune / news – Should Bru show us more than one of 27 pages of the notice she has received from the tax authority? – No, the notice is not final. What she has shown news is the part of the notice which confirms that the Tax Agency believes the commuting condition has been met, says Asheim. Henrik Asheim asks for openness when the cases have been processed. Photo: Torkil Stoltz / news – Should politicians who have received a notice against them submit it? – No, it is a private matter. But when the conclusion from the Tax Agency is clear, I think all the politicians who have been notified should show openness, he adds. Confidentiality principle in the Supreme Court Even if the Supreme Court has asked representatives in the party to be open about their affairs on several occasions, their parliamentary group has agreed not to answer questions about notification. Storting representative Erlend Larsen says so. Erlend Larsen says the Storting group to Høgre has agreed not to talk about notification. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news – In Høgre’s Storting group, we have agreed not to comment on the notification cases, he says. – Was it the party leadership who proposed this? – This did not come as a directive from above. This was agreed upon jointly, says Larsen.
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Høgre urged Ap to openness
