The county municipality has lacked around NOK 200 million to continue with the ferry operation as it is today, and poor finances have pushed forward proposals for cuts. But now the politicians have found a solution that will neither result in fewer departures nor more expensive tickets. Want to use tax money If there is no more money from the state budget for ferry operations next year, the majority in the County Council is in favor of the money from the ground rent tax on aquaculture and the production tax on aquaculture being used to stop the announced cuts in the ferry service. – We think it is reasonable that those who create the tax revenue get the funds back by not cutting the ferry service they depend on, says Kristin Sørheim (Sp), head of the transport committee. The politicians do not yet know exactly how much the county will receive through taxes from the aquaculture industry, but according to Sørheim, they are making calculations that they are sure it will be enough to avoid cutting the ferry operation or increasing tariffs. Kristin Sørheim (Sp) took the floor during the consideration of the case at the County Council. The proposal to use income from the ground rent tax for ferries came from the majority on the County Council, which consists of Ap, Sp, SV and MDG, V and KrF. Photo: Silje Thalberg / news Facts about ground rent tax Ground rent tax is paid from income you get by exploiting the community’s natural resources, such as water, wind and sea. Comes from the English expression “ground rent”, i.e. ground rent or land rent. When a wind farm has been set up in a mountain area or a salmon farm has been built in a fjord, the area is not freely accessible to others. Access to natural resources is limited, and this limits competition. This makes it easier to get extraordinarily high incomes in industries that utilize natural resources. Basic interest tax must be paid on income the companies receive in excess of what they can normally expect from their own investments and work effort, as a result of this benefit. Basic interest tax is also called super profit. (Source: NTB) – Could have done it in another way One of those who have to help pay is the salmon giant Mowi. The company is opposed to the ground rent tax on aquaculture, but is also, like all other breeders, dependent on the ferries going out to their facilities. – It is good that Møre and Romsdal want to use the income from our industry to improve the ferry service, but they could also have achieved that with a different facility and a different tax level that does not affect investment and employment in the same way, says communications director Ola Helge Hetland. Furthermore, he says that the industry is positive about contributing more beyond tax, but that Mowi wants a rematch for the ground rent tax – regardless of what the money is used for. Ola Helge Hjetland is communications director at Mowi. Photo: Lidvard Sandven / news – Very good The government estimates that the total ground rent tax for aquaculture this year could be up to NOK 3.8 billion. The county municipalities receive a lower share of the ground rent tax than the municipalities. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum gives the thumbs up for Møre and Romsdal county council to use these revenues for ferry operations. – It is very good that the tax revenue can go to services that the aquaculture industry itself needs. I can understand that some of the biggest players would prefer to keep the money themselves, but part of the point with Norway is that if you have very large incomes, you have to share more, says Vedum, who points out that this is in line with the intention of the disputed tax. – The money can go to schools, nursing homes or ferries, such as in Møre and Romsdal. That was the goal, also that a lot should go back to the coast, says Trygve Slagsvold Vedum. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Would rather increase the prices The majority of the County Council rejected the county council director’s proposal to increase the prices of ferry tickets. Høgre agreed with the county director, and was not satisfied with the solution for further ferry operations. – We are fundamentally opposed to using the basic rent tax. We think, in common with the business community, that it is better to pay for the ferry than for the ferry to stop running, says Monica Molvær, second candidate for the county council for Møre and Romsdal Høgre. Monica Molvær from Høgre under the County Council in Fosnavåg. Photo: Silje Thalberg / news – Risk Since the Storting has decided that ferry fares should be halved and that it should be free to travel to islands and on small connections, Sørheim believes that it would be unwise to increase the fares. – It will look strange and be risky to raise the ferry fares. The Storting can then withdraw the compensation. – There is also a risk in what has been adopted today. We don’t know how much money comes in through the ground rent tax and what kind of income the county council gets, Molvær replies. It will be the new county council after the election that will have the final say in the matter. – There are elections soon, so we’ll see what happens next, says Monica Molvær.
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The basic interest tax from the aquaculture industry will finance the ferry service in Møre og Romsdal – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
