Salmon tax is here to stay, whatever the colour of the government

Norway’s 25% extra tax on salmon farmers appears to be here to stay, the latest pronouncements from the country’s opposition politicians indicate.

A victory for right-of-centre parties at the general election in September next year has been the salmon industry’s best hope of reversing the so-called ground rent tax conceived by the Labour-Centre party coalition and voted into existence by left-leaning politicians in June 2023. 

But the Progress party (FrP), widely regarded as being to the right of the Conservative party, has said it wants to keep the ground rent tax at the current level.

The Conservative party also plans to keep the tax, although it would reduce the rate to 15%.

Both the FrP and the Conservatives would scrap the standard price council, which determines the prices in the ground rent tax.

Currently, salmon farming companies effectively pay 47% tax on profits: the 25% salmon tax and Norway's standard 22% corporation tax. Company owners also have to pay wealth taxes.