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on Tuesday passed the Parliament a krisepakke of up to 50 billion to help the Norwegian business sector through koronapandemien.
There are over 350,000 unemployed in Norway, and the Ministry of finance estimates a decrease in the gross domestic product of the 2-7 per cent in 2020.
Miljøpartiet The greens (MDG), the government now has a golden opportunity to secure existing, and create new jobs in the fisheries and seafood industry.
And the best way to do that is to reduce the tax on locally refined seafood, believe the party.
– We need to look at all possible tools and measures to secure jobs and value creation in the future, ” says Kriss Rokkan Iversen.
She is nestlederkandidat in the MDGS and vice-rector at the Norwegian arctic university in Harstad, norway.
Iversen believes that a targeted momskutt on seafood that is processed within the borders will contribute to strengthening competitiveness.
at the same time as it gjødsler innovation and new jobs within the new segments of the seafood industry.
– A typical u-landsmodell
– the seafood industry is a sector that represents the essential employment along the entire coast, and where there is potential for more jobs by increasing the activity in the processing stage, mean Kriss Rokkan Iversen in the MDG.
Photo: SALT
today exported 95 per cent of everything we collect out of the sea in Norway out of the country.
According to the Norwegian sjømatråd lose Norway 30 billion on the not to process our own fish.
we have now a historic chance to do something with, ” she believes.
A large proportion of this fish leaving the country uforedlet. It is a typical “u-landsmodell”, where processing and thereby the added value is made outside of the Uk. It is more expensive to export Norwegian seafood products than uforedlede raw materials due to konkurranseulempene tollbarrierene entails.
But it is not everything.
The cattle are sent abroad for processing and then sent back to the Norwegian grocery stores for sale
– A win-win situation
Both the 2019 and 2020 has been an amazing year for Norwegian seafood, where most of the arrows have been pointing straight up. But as good as all the fish is sold straight out of the country, and even we eat less and less fish.
Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix
According to Kriss Rokkan Iversen will lower vat for processed seafood have far more positive aspects than to create more jobs in the Uk.
for several years, the Norwegian population’s appetite for fish and seafood plummeted downwards. According to the ministry of Health eat norwegians 29 kilos of fish a year. For comparison, we eat on average 75 kilos of meat.
A momsfritak will also want to make it cheaper for norwegians to eat the fish, she believes.
Sjømatprodusent: – Should use more “carrot”
One of the major sjømatprodusentene in Norway is the Insula. The head office is located in Leknes in the Lofoten islands. It also keeps Lofotprodukt AS to, which is one of the largest Norwegian companies in the group.
Director of communications and sustainability, Camilla Beck Sætre, are sure that a momsfritak will lead to the fact that norwegians eat more fish.
She points to the fact that the Kiwi last year cut the price of the fish, equivalent to the tax, in the six weeks. Butikkjeden increased sales by up to 50 per cent.
– We have spare capacity and can produce more. This is controlled by demand.
the Group has 1100 employees in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. But even if the norwegians increase their sjømatkonsum, it is unlikely that parts of the production moved from the other nordic mills to the Norwegian.
the Reason is that the various companies primarily serve their own markets. A momsfritak will still create more jobs along the Norwegian coast, think Beck Sætre.
Insula also believe it is time that the Norwegian authorities use more “carrot” to get people to eat healthy.
– In Norway we are good at to do unhealthy goods, such as candy and soft drinks. An alternative is to reduce the tax on the norwegians should eat more of. We think it is time to use more carrot, less whip, to get the norwegians to eat healthier.
Managing director, Robert Eriksson in Sjømatbedriftene will have lower vat on fish and seafood.
Photo: Solvår Flatås / NRK
the Requirement momskutt on the fish is not new.
Sjømatbransjen in Norway does not receive subsidies from the state, while agriculture receive large subsidies.
It makes that norwegians eat smaller animals, fish and more cheap meat, believes managing director, Robert Eriksson in Sjømatbedriftene.
Price has significance for what people choose to eat. We should have more “fair play” in kjøledisken. Considering that we are a subsidiefri industry should the tax down. The option will be a far harder nut to crack, namely to reduce the subsidies on red meat.
– Will come kystsamfunnene to good
Norway serves the world with 37 million meal every day with Norwegian seafood. But consumption in the Uk goes down.
Photo: Petter Power / NRK
today is the tax on seafood at 15 per cent.
What the tax should be on the will not Kriss Rokkan Iversen have any idea about.
– This is something one should look at in the budget. It is nevertheless beyond doubt that Norway, as a nation, will earn more on it than what it will cost.
sure enough, you will get a reduction in tax revenues associated with the momsreduksjonen.
But at the same time, you will eventually be able to get the increased tax revenues related to increased processing business in existing and new companies along the coast.
In the Ministry of finance is not convinced that momskutt is the way to go.
– A general momsfritak on seafood is not a precise tool against the crisis we now stand up in.
– the Government and the Parliament have in recent weeks promoted a series of measures to meet the economic challenges we are facing, among other things, a broad compensation scheme aimed at firms that have had a huge drop in turnover. It is far more precise than a vat.-exemption for one particular industry, ” says state secretary Magnus Thue (H).
More about koronaviruset StatusRåd and infoØkonomiSpør NRK Status NorgeSist updated: 10.04.20206275Smittet232Innlagt113Dødestatus for Norway
