Residents in 14 of the country’s councils will pay a combined 250 million additional tax kroner next year, while inhabitants of five other councils will get a combined tax reduction of 200 million kroner.
Twenty-two councils had requested permission from the state to raise taxes to a combined tune of 612 million kroner. Eight of those requests were denied. Those councils, however, can still in principle raises taxes, although they would then incur economic sanctions from the state.
John Brædder (Independent), the mayor of Guldborgsunds Council on Lolland-Falster, said he was disappointed that his council could not increase taxes. The council wanted to raise an additional 45 million kroner to finance a new school. The council has been given the option to loan 48 million kroner from the state that it would have to pay back over 10 years.
Frederikshavn Council in northern Jutland was denied its request to raise taxes by 53 million kroner. The council was already facing budget cuts of 50 million kroner, so the hole now will be even bigger, the council’s mayor, Lars Møller (Venstre), said.
“We’ve faced budget cuts every year since 2009,” Møller said. “That’s incredibly difficult for a council of our size.”
The next-door council, Hjørring Council, on the other hand, was approved in their request to raise taxes by 41.6 million, the largest tax increase for a single council. It had requested, however, 87 million.
“When I see that, for example, our neighbouring council Frederikshavn isn’t on the list, then I can’t really complain,” the council’s mayor, Arne Boelt (Socialdemokraterne), said.
The councils that have been given permission to increase taxes are:
Albertslund, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Ishøj, Helsingør, Rudersdal, Halsnæs, Gribskov, Kerteminde, Struer, Syddjurs, Læsø, Mariagerfjord, Jammerbugt and Hjørring.
