Switzerland has long been known as a “tax haven”, but never before has it attracted rich Norwegians as during the last year. A review carried out by Dagens Næringsliv shows that so far this year, around 30 people with at least several tens of millions of kroner in assets have reported or announced a move to Switzerland. For comparison, the newspaper registered 22 moves from Norway to Switzerland in the period 2009–2021. The government’s own figures show that the migration flow out of Norway among particularly wealthy Norwegians has doubled in 2022 compared to the average of the last 12 years. Kjell Inge Røkke has long been one of the largest taxpayers in Norway. Now he is moving to Switzerland and taking NOK 17.8 billion in net worth with him. Røkke is listed with an income of NOK 92 million and paid NOK 181 million in tax in 2021. Photo: Anne Skifjeld / news 532 million in tax Some of the most high-profile emigrants this year are Kjell Inge Røkke, the Rema heirs Kristoffer and Viktoria Reitan, Sector Alarm founder Jørgen Dahl and kindergarten billionaires Hans Jacob and Randi Sundby. Based on the overview that DN has made, news has looked at how much those who have reported moving to Switzerland paid in tax in 2021: Based on the figures for 2021, the moves to Switzerland mean that Norway is missing out on tax revenue of NOK 532 million. In addition, assets totaling around NOK 29 billion have moved to Switzerland, according to the tax lists for 2021. The vast majority of those who have reported moving to Switzerland are already listed in the tax lists with “Switzerland” under their postal address. Favorable tax rules Not everyone who has reported moving to Switzerland has stated the very favorable tax benefits in the country as a reason for the move, but experts point to this as a likely reason. Switzerland is ranked number 5 on the organization Tax Justice Network’s list of the world’s largest tax havens. In total, the network estimates that Switzerland alone causes other countries an annual loss of $2 billion by offering billionaires favorable tax rules. By moving to Switzerland, the rich avoid paying wealth tax to Norway, which is one of the highest wealth taxes in the whole world. In addition, if they live in Switzerland for more than five years, they do not have to pay tax on dividends from their shares. Tax professor Guttorm Schjelderup at NHH has previously told news that he believes the five-year rule is the most important reason why many choose to move.
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This is how much the rich emigrants taxed in 2021 – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
