Surge in payroll tax

Social security revenues increased by more NOK 2.6 billion from January to April this year. Of this amount fully NOK 1.8 billion came from the payroll tax. This is equivalent to an increase of 10.2 per cent. Growth in employment and higher wages are factors behind the increase.

The remaining NOK 852 million in social security revenues came from employees' social security contributions. The increase was 6.7 per cent.

Small increase in tax revenues

Tax revenues from January to April 1998 totalled NOK 96 billion, a modest increase of NOK 0.5 billion compared to the same period last year. The low growth is due to a decline of more than NOK 6 billion in oil taxes. During the same period, municipal tax revenues increased by nearly NOK 600 million.

So far this year, tax revenues excluding petroleum taxes distributed among the counties have risen by NOK 6.7 billion or 8.8 per cent compared to 1997. Growth has been high throughout the country. Akershus has had the highest growth with 11.6 per cent, followed by Oslo with 10.7 per cent. Nord-Trøndelag and Finnmark have had the lowest growth, with 4.8 and 4.5 per cent respectively.

Oil taxes

Due mainly to reduced oil prices, tax revenues from the oil sector have dropped by NOK 6.2 billion, a reduction of 32.8 per cent.

New statistics

Tax accounts statistics, January-April 1998.
Statistics are issued monthly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. Data on tax revenues in individual municipalities are published in the electronic edition of the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics on the Web and in the Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Regional Statistics series. For more information, contact: tove.brynhildsen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 72, or rune.bye@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 45 14.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 21, 1998