Tax reform supporting entrepreneurship

Voices are increasingly being raised in favour of a new, major tax reform in Sweden. What do the entrepreneurs want to see in such a reform? In the 1990’s tax reform, the entrepreneurs were entirely forgotten. If there is no new tax reform, why not a partial reform supporting increased entrepreneurship? What could this look like?

During last year, the Minister of Finance clearly stated that she wants to see a new tax committee established to address tax reform. The Liberals and Center Party agree. TCO (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees) , Saco (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations) and LO (The Swedish Trade Union Confederation) have also agreed. Today’s tax regulations have been described by many experts as a patchwork of tax rules. This is an overly kind description of the actual situation. At the same time, the difference between tax on income from capital and tax on income from work has increased. Internationally, tax competition has, in fact, hardened. The entrepreneurs often end up somewhere between the lines. Yes, something is definitely in the air even if strong forces are resisting any reform. Still, the fact cannot be denied, thirty years have passed since the last reform and a great deal has happened within the economy during that long period of time.

What is required in order to ensure that the same mistake isn’t repeated and the entrepreneurs are forgotten? What do the entrepreneurs want to have as the basis of a directive if one is actually going to be produced and sent to a new tax reform committee in the autumn, or at a later date?

Many entrepreneurs believe that the tax rules are, today, in general, positive, even better than earlier. Entrepreneurs have not been spoiled. But they do not want to see the rules affected and neither do they want to get the short straw in the context of a new reform. Quite the opposite, they want to see premises facilitating the development and expansion of their companies, investment in new companies and the provision of increased competencies.

Seminar in Almedalen, Tuesday 5 July

In Almedalen this year we will, together with the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum and entrepreneurship expert, Professor Pontus Braunerhjelm discuss a proposal for a new tax reform for entrepreneurs. This will deal with tax on capital, corporate tax and the provision of competence. In order to make this proposal work as an actual partial reform, we will also address the overall financing of the proposal. Comments will be provided by the Tax Agency’s Director General, Ingemar Hansson, Senior Lecturer, Åsa Hansson, who, similar to Ingemar, was a member of the Corporate Tax Committee and Dagens Industri’s well-known lead columnist, Tobias Wikström. The public will also be provided the opportunity to make comments and ask questions.

For those of you who don’t have the opportunity to attend Almedalen in Visby, you can watch our seminars live via our blog PwC i Almedalen. Here you will also find our entire program for Almedalen and you can follow the discussions during the entire week. Please notice that all our seminars are presented in Swedish.