Forgjeldet municipality accepts an increase in property tax – Greater Oslo

Today, home owners in Frogn pay the lowest rate possible in municipal property tax: namely 1 per thousand.

But the tax can be turned up several notches.

It can actually reach the highest level.

The background is the deep financial problems that Frogn has run into.

The municipality has very high debt, almost no savings and is steering towards a new deficit this year as well.

On top of that, a defeat in a court case about the municipality’s new swimming facility could cost Frogn very dearly.

Almost everyone supports the move

The Conservative Party took over the management of Frogn last autumn in a collaboration with the Progress Party and the Pension Party. Now the party is helping to send the bill to the municipality’s residents.

– The municipal director is asked to start work on increasing the property tax by 1 per mille each year, said Conservative group leader Anine Norén from the podium on Monday evening.

Then she put forward the proposal, which has the support of all parties from Red to the Pensioners’ Party.

The parties agree that the extra income from the tax should be used to pay off the debt.

It must be assessed every year whether the property tax should be kept at the same level, increased to the maximum rate or lowered.

FRP stands outside

– There is still room for maneuver to improve the municipality’s finances without sending the bill to pensioners, single mothers, the church minister or others in the municipality.

That’s what Lars Joakim Hansen from the Progress Party said.

But he and his party were the only ones to think so in the municipal council on Monday evening.

The FRP refuses to participate in an increase in property tax.

– The joint proposal presented today is an expression that almost the entire municipal council has understood and acknowledged the seriousness we are now facing. The FRP still hasn’t figured it out.

ROBEK is next if we don’t make big moves, said Bente Bjerknes from the Sentrum party.

Ending up in the so-called ROBEK register means having such big financial problems that the state partially takes over control of the municipality.