Different Types of Taxes
Tax revenue is used mainly to finance welfare, that is to pay for public sector expenditure.
There are various types of taxes. Swedish taxes are usually classified as follows:
Direct taxes on labour
- taxes payable on income from work
- taxes on income related to work (such as sickness benefits, pensions and parental benefits)
- basic pension contributions
Indirect taxes on labour
- social security contributions (employers contributions and self-employed contributions for self-employed persons)
- general payroll taxes
- special employers contributions payable on certain types of compensation and employee benefits
Taxes on income from capital
- taxes payable on income from capital assets (such as interest, dividends and rent)
- capital gains tax
Taxes on property
In 2008 the national real estate tax was replaced with a local government real estate charge.
Corporate taxation
- tax on income from business activities
Taxes on goods and services
- value-added tax (VAT)
- excise duties on alcohol and tobacco, oil, petrol, etc.
The regulations are those applying in 2009.
The Swedish Tax Agency
The Swedish Tax Agency is responsible for the operational aspects of taxation. Among the Swedish Tax Agency's main tasks are processing income statements and income tax returns each year, and processing corporate tax returns every month. To learn more about Swedish taxes, visit their website.
