The two former politicians Martin Henriksen (AP) and Kristian Tonning Riise (H) were taxed after the inspection of commuter housing. Henriksen received additional fees because the case is considered serious.
It shows recent changes to politicians’ equations, which VG gained access to following a petition to the Internal Revenue Service.
The changes in the equation are set in the fall, at the same time as that as well several other politicians received a tax credit for tax-free and free commuter accommodation from the Storting.
Both men left politics after the last general election. Henriksen (43) works as a lobbyist for Hurtigruten. Tonning Riise (34) currently works as a lobbyist for tobacco giant Phillip Morris.
- Henriksen had his income increased by a total of NOK 439,824 in 2019 and 2020. This results in a tax benefit of NOK 204,078.
- Toning Riise had his income increased by a total of NOK 371,292 in 2019 and 2020. This results in a tax benefit of NOK 172,278.
I have an additional fee
Henriksen was a political adviser to the government and a secretary of state. In the years 2017 to 2020, supervised by the tax administration, he was elected to the Storting in Troms.
Among 38 politicians who had their budget and tax requirements changed during the audits, Henriksen is one of ten who had an additional tax levied, because the matter is considered serious by the Swedish Tax Agency.
– We may impose additional fees if incorrect or incomplete information has been provided. Getting additional fees is considered a fine. It’s serious, tax director Nina Schanke Funnemark said earlier Often.
Funnmark did not comment on individual cases.
– It is true that I receive extra taxes and additional taxes for the benefit of free commuter accommodation in the years 2017-2020, writes Henriksen to VG.
– I always thought that I did everything right. So it’s obviously unfortunate to end up in such a situation. I am eager to make amends and therefore have already paid the tax that has been imposed on me. I will not appeal the decision either.
VG asked Henriksen about the reason for the tax complaint and the additional tax that was imposed on him. Henriksen did not answer this question.
Tonning Riise declined to comment on the NOK 172,278 tax burden on VG.
Critic of silence
Only a small number of politicians have spoken out about these tax requirements, shows a review by VG. Of the 38 current and former politicians who have made decisions against them, eight have completely laid their cards on the table. On Monday, Storting representative Mona Fagerås (SV) lashed out at her colleagues at VG:
– I feel that those of us who have been honest and come forward shoulder the burden, while those who keep their mouths shut about the tax claims against them escape publicity (…) It would benefit us all if they were open , Fagerås said.
Several possible reasons
In commuter housing cases resulting in tax claims, top politicians have received free and tax-free commuter housing, while the agency believes there are conditions that indicate it should not have been tax-free.
The IRS then levied more income — and tax — on people matching the market value if they rented the commuter housing themselves into the equation.
Several commuter houses are worth between NOK 20,000 and 30,000 per month.
Each case is unique, but several instances where politicians have been taxed are related to renting parts of one’s home home, that misregistration of actual residence in the National Registry resulted in a commuter home, or lived closer than 40 kilometers from central Oslo.
VG previously discussed both the story of Tonning Riise and Henriksen’s move and home purchase in one item on commuter accommodation.
Bought own apartment
Martin Henriksen was elected to the Storting in autumn 2013. At that time he had been living and working in Oslo since 2002, but during the entire period he was registered at his place of residence in Harstad. Among other things, he was leader of the AUF (2006-2010), adviser to the Zero Environmental Foundation and political adviser to the Stoltenberg II government (2011-2013).
He bought his house in Oslo in 2008 and has lived there. She owned the one that was elected to the Storting in 2013, but sold it later that fall.
In 2013, he was awarded a 67 square meter three-room parliament apartment in Grünerløkka. He managed commuter accommodation for eight years until he left the Storting in 2021.
He informed VG that from autumn 2012 until November 2020 he rented an apartment in a house owned by his parents. She won’t tell VG how much rent she paid to her parents, but she says these are “low” expenses.
In an email Henriksen sent to Storting management in Autumn 2021, he wrote that he had paid “below market rent” for this apartment.
I have commuter accommodation despite an apartment
Tonning Riise has been the leader of Unge Høyre since 2014. In 2016, he bought an apartment in Greenland in Oslo with two others. He lived here when he was elected to the Storting in 2017, but was registered with his parents in Stange. He was given commuter accommodation from the Storting, a three-room apartment in the Grünerløkka district.
For Often he previously claimed that he continued to live in his apartment and left the commuter flat empty. In 2018 she bought a house in Ringsaker, while she sold the apartment in Greenland in 2020.
Tonning Riise left politics after the 2021 elections. In 2018 he resigned as leader of Unge Høyre in the wake of a series of warnings about inappropriate behavior. He apologized and postponed the period for Hedmark Høyre. He is currently employed by tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris.
– No questions
He told Aftenposten about commuter accommodation last year:
“I applied for commuter accommodation because the plan was to leave shortly and purchase an apartment in Hedmark. There were no questions about secondary accommodation in this process and therefore it was not natural to include them. I informed Aftenposten of the reason for that the process of selling the apartment in Oslo took longer than expected and that it is not due to any gain or advantage for me.
It is due to difficult and highly private circumstances for a third party that has nothing to do with public opinion. During this time, I’ve had both loan costs and joint expenses on two houses at once, with no income on either. However, Aftenposten chooses to imply that this is a situation that should have benefited me. It’s speculative and borders on outright dishonesty.”
VG gave him the information in this case, but Tonning Riise writes to VG that he doesn’t want to discuss his tax case in the media.
