– They carpet mailboxes with flyers and knock on the doors, says Deputy Director of the Tax Administration, Trond Båtnes. He is referring to itinerant craftsmen who travel around the country and offer cheap, and what he refers to, junk labor. An upswing of foreign craftsmen in Norway is reported annually in the spring and summer months. Also known as “travelers”. “Travelers” “Travelers” is a term used about a group of people from England and Ireland who travel around Europe. Paving, asphalt work and other types of craft services are offered for cheap money, but are often of low quality. They use random labor who often have no alternative in the legal market. The money they earn quickly disappears out of the country, and they do not pay taxes or social security contributions. They can have an ongoing and threatening behavior, and the police warn people against entering into agreements with these companies. If you are pressured to pay money that has not been agreed, the police want you to contact them, regardless of whether you deliberately used undeclared work. Source: The police – They offer all kinds of services from house painting, carpentry and lawn mowing. They do most of the services for houses, says Båtnes. If you say yes to the work, it can be expensive. – If you pay in cash over NOK 10,000, you can in the worst case, if the player does not pay taxes and fees, be held co-responsible. Work performed without paid taxes and fees is considered a work-related crime. The worst cases have had major consequences, Båtnes explains. – You can be reported by the Tax Administration and be fined accordingly, he says. In December, a man in Troms and Finnmark was sentenced to prison for just this: Preventive work In Tromsø, Båtnes goes with brochures from mailbox to mailbox. These should remind people that one must be observant before saying yes to cheap labor. – Our job is to run prevention and that people make wise choices in advance, he says. For two years, the Tax Administration, together with their tax patrol, has carried out these measures. – The travelers like to do some research before they knock, they like to go to older people and they are rarely in residential areas with newly built houses, he says. This brochure will help prevent people from saying yes to illegal labor. Photo: Andrine Gald Myklebust / news Båtnes explains that the Tax Administration does not keep statistics, but says he experiences that people are more aware and better at saying no. Homeowners have a responsibility Secretary General of the consumer organization Homeowners, Morten Andreas Meyer, is positive about the Tax Administration’s measures. – We ourselves actively participate in this type of work and use our channels to convey the same advice as the Tax Administration to our members, he says. Meyer believes that the country’s homeowners have a great responsibility when it comes to avoiding the black economy. Secretary General of the consumer organization Homeowners, Morten Andreas Meyer believes homeowners have a great responsibility to avoid black finances. Photo: Moment studio – I think that if you have put yourself in a situation where you have contributed to the risk of undeclared work, then it is a situation you should simply handle yourself, he says. – That is why the advice to avoid a situation where you contribute to undeclared work is so important. Rather local labor In Tromsø, pensioner Per Gustav Eriksen checks his mailbox. – Here is a brochure about not accepting offers from craftsmen who ring the doorbell, he says. Eriksen says that he has experienced this once, but said no. – I want there to be proper craftsmen who do proper work. He thinks it is stupid for people to accept these services and encourage the use of local labor. – It can have financial consequences if it becomes a case out of it, he says.
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– Purchase of undeclared work can have consequences such as fines or reviews – news Troms and Finnmark
