We clearly say no to property tax!
But we don't have property tax in Sandefjord!
That is absolutely right and the reason for that is that we have been in a position for many years, together with the Conservative Party.
Proposals to introduce property tax have been put forward in the municipal council several times, from parties on the left. Fortunately, the proposals have not received a majority.
If you do not want property tax to be introduced in Sandefjord, then you have a very good reason to vote for the Progress Party
The property taxis antisocial, and hits blindly. When the municipalities collect property tax, they do not take into account how large a loan you have or how high your income is. They are based on an assumption that people who own a home can afford this. But owning your own home is not a luxury in Norway today. The Progress Party believes that your home should be a home, not a tax object.
Why is the property tax so unfair?
Although municipal politicians who fail to prioritize in the municipal budget would have us believe that housing is a luxury good for the rich, the vast majority of people who own their own homes are far from rich.
Both minimum pensioners and families with small children are among those who are affected when the municipality collects tax on people's homes. We have seen several examples of people having to move from their house due to sky-high property tax, or families with children who have had to take their children out of nursery school in order to pay the property tax. That says something about how unsocial this tax actually is.
The property tax hits unsocially and regardless of the owners' ability to pay. If you are unemployed or have a low income for a period, the property tax accrues as before. It also does not take into account whether the home has been paid off or whether you have had to take out large loans to acquire a home. The property tax also does not take into account the loan costs associated with the home.
People who have spent all their spare hours building a home for their family should not have to move from there because the municipality is demanding sky-high property taxes.
A double taxation
Property tax is an unfair double taxation. When you buy a home, you do so with funds that have already been taxed. In addition, the home is included as part of the basis for property tax.
This is also a completely unnecessary tax. All municipalities receive money transferred from the state to operate their primary services. If a municipality does not deliver good enough services to its citizens, it is not because they do not collect enough money from their citizens, but simply because they do not do a good enough job. Municipal politicians must prioritize better, and stop using people's homes to make the municipal budget go up.
Therefore, the Progress Party will remove the municipalities' ability to collect tax on people's housing.